JACL Celebrates and Recommits to Reparations Support

JACL was honored to join two major reparations events this past week in Washington, D.C. On Thursday, May 15, Representative Summer L. Lee (PA-12) reintroduced the Reparations Now resolution, and on Saturday, JACL, in collaboration with the National Nikkei Reparations Coalition, participated in a National Reparations Rally in honor of Malcolm X’s 100th birthday.

Introduced on May 15th, Congresswoman Lee’s Reparations Now resolution continues calling on Congress to take action in furthering reparations for descendants of slavery. The bill supports other similar bills like HR 40, in addition to finding ways to support local and state reparations work. JACL praises the work of Congresswoman Lee and her predecessor, Congresswoman Cori Bush, who have continually championed reparations through this bill and in other ways. In addition to JACL, the bill is supported by over 75 organizations.

In support of the legislation, JACL Executive Director David Inoue said, “Over 35 years ago, our country provided reparations to Japanese Americans who had been unjustly incarcerated during WWII. We are long overdue in fully coming to terms with our government’s complicity in the institution of chattel slavery and continued state-sanctioned and enforced racial discrimination against Black people. The Japanese American Citizens League continues the call for our nation to once again correct a historic injustice as it did for Japanese Americans, and seek to truly respond to the harms that our government has inflicted upon the Black community in the form of reparations to bring healing for all Americans.”

On Saturday, March 17th, community members and multiple civil rights organizations engaged in a protest at Lansburgh Park through the National Reparations Network to commemorate the 100th birthday of Malcolm X and to fight for reparations for the black community. The historic rally was a powerful demonstration of cross-cultural and cross-organizational unity to celebrate and move forward the fight for reparations. Over a hundred organizations endorsed the rally, with many of them speaking and sharing their support in person.

Our community’s fight for redress was not undertaken alone. Our own successful fight for redress was only possible with the support and partnership from numerous allied communities, and it is in that spirit that we offer our full support for Black reparations. We continue these partnerships in the continued fight for justice, which cannot happen without addressing our country’s indebtedness to the historic oppression of Black people. We continue to recognize that reparations are only the first step towards transformative change and healing for our nation.