ABOVE: Congressman Al Green pictured with Bishop Shelton Bady, Bishop James Dixon, and youth attendees at inaugural Slavery Remembrance Day breakfast
It is probably safe to say that everyone has experienced a hurtful or traumatic event at one point in their lives. Seeking to move on and forget those painful memories is only human nature, but can you really forget? Should you forget?
Congressman Green, Dr. F.N. Williams, Sr., Pastor Suzette Caldwell, State Rep. Ron Reynolds, and George Anderson
Slavery is America’s Original Sin!
Slavery was an extremely barbaric, traumatic, and legalized institution that negatively impacted the lives of many people of African descent, while making countless White slave and plantation owners extraordinarily rich and abundantly wealthy as a result of this system of forced labor.
For far too many years, people of African descent were subjected to the barbaric institution of slavery in America, and sadly, what happened to them is barely even mentioned in school textbooks, let alone talked about in the same way the way other tragic events are remembered in this country.
As a result of the persistent efforts of U.S. Congressman Al Green (TX-09), that history and the memory of the millions of victims of African descent who suffered the horrors of slavery will never be forgotten.
Congressman Green sponsored H.Res.517—The Original Slavery Remembrance Day—in the 117th Congress of the United States. His bill passed in the U.S. House on July 27, 2022, with 218 to 207, and it proposes to designate August 20 as Slavery Remembrance Day.
Congressman Green speaks to attendees at inaugural Slavery Remembrance Day breakfast
Congressman Green specifically chose that day as the day of remembrance, because it was on that day in 1619, that the White Lion ship arrived at Point Comfort, near present day Norfolk, Virginia, carrying the first enslaved Africans brought to the English-speaking American colonies.
Congressman Green’s resolution has over 130 co-sponsors in Congress. It has also gathered support by pastors and organizations nationwide, including the National Action Network, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the Anti-Defamation League.
Congressman Green is steadfast on honoring these victims, while continuing to advocate for its full passage and becoming an official Day of Remembrance.
“National days of remembrance are a means by which to commemorate those impacted horrific events, as well as prevent tragedies from fading from our memory,” said Congressman Green when expressing why this is so significant. “Currently, there are National Days of Remembrance for the Holocaust, Pearl Harbor, and 9/11. Each day honors the memory of the lives lost to these atrocities. But at the moment, America does not have an official day of remembrance to honor the millions of African persons who were abducted and shipped to the Americas to be sold as property as part of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Slavery Remembrance Day would do the same as these other Days of Remembrance by honoring the millions of enslaved Africans who were kidnapped, shipped to the Americas, and sold as property.”
Congressman Green states that now that his resolution has passed in the U.S. House, the next step is to have President Joe Biden issue a proclamation declaring August 20 as Slavery Remembrance Day.
Congressman Green with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and local clergy members at inaugural Slavery Remembrance Day breakfast
This past Saturday, President Biden released a statement marking Slavery Remembrance Day, stating:
More than 400 years ago, twenty enslaved Africans were forcibly brought to the shores of what would become the United States. Millions more were stolen and sold in the centuries that followed, part of a system of slavery that is America’s original sin.
Great nations don’t hide from their history. They acknowledge their past, both the triumphs and the tragedies. Today is a day to reflect on the terrible toll of slavery, and on our nation’s profound ability to heal and emerge stronger. Despite the horrors they faced, these men and women and their descendants have made countless contributions to the building of this nation and the continuous effort to realize the American ideal. I was honored last year to declare Juneteenth a national holiday, another moment to reflect and rededicate ourselves to becoming a more perfect union. And it’s why my Administration will continue the hard, ongoing work to bring true equity and racial justice to our country.
I’m grateful for the efforts of Congress—in particular, Representative Al Green and Senator Elizabeth Warren—to recognize the significance of this day.
Congressman Green extended his sincerest gratitude to President Biden for issuing his statement and complimented him on his willingness to acknowledge and believes that the president’s statement further illustrates why we need to recognize August 20th annually as Slavery Remembrance Day.
Also, this past Saturday, nearly 1,000 people were in attendance, as Congressman Green held his inaugural Slavery Remembrance Day Commemorative Breakfast and Legislative Update at the Power Center in Houston, Texas.
Some 400 years after slavery was first introduced in the United States, this large gathering of people in the Greater Houston area––including pastors, local elected officials, and community activists––came together to commemorate the lives of enslaved people while condemning the act and perpetuation of slavery in the United States.
The event was free and featured many local elected officials, clergy members, community leaders, community activists, and citizens, such as: Dr. William A. Lawson, Dr. F.N. Williams, Sr., Mayor Sylvester Turner, Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Dr. James Dixon, II, Dr. S.J. Gilbert, II, Dr. Max Miller, Jr., Bishop Destry Bell, Bishop Kenneth Murray, Pastor Alton Mitchell, Pastor Walter August, Pastor John Ogletree, Pastor EA Deckard, Pastor Carl Colston, Pastor Gerald Shanks, Bishop Donald Thompson, Pastor Jabez Abraham, Pastor Suzette Caldwell, Pastor Reginald DeVaughn, Pastor Terrance Johnson, Pastor Byron Stevens, Pastor Roderick Dawson, Pastor Harvey Clemmons, Pastor Billy Williams, Pastor Trevy Washington, Pastors Remus and Mia Wright, Pastor Joe Ratliff, Pastor Ralph West, and many others.
While being exceedingly grateful for the outpouring of support that his efforts to establish a National Day of Remembrance for slavery has received, Congressman Green believes that one day, people will look back through the annals of history and realize the difference that his efforts and that inaugural event made in the lives of people across the length and breadth of our nation.
“It is our moral imperative to ensure future generations understand the full weight of slavery and grasp its modern-day implications, because regrettably, the legacy of slavery and its perfidious prodigies are still evident in our society,” Congressman Green declared. “Slavery is the root cause of the current social standing of Black people in the United States, especially as it continues in contemporary insidious transformations, including invidious discrimination in lending, housing, incarceration, and healthcare, together with an ongoing nationwide campaign to limit and distort what is taught in our classrooms, such as attempts at renaming slavery to ‘involuntary relocation’. I trust that together, we will continue working in unity to ensure that our nation’s seminal sin, slavery, is always remembered.”
On August 20, annually, Congressman Green is encouraging everyone to mark their calendars and take the time to pause at noon, wherever they may be, for a moment of silent solemnity for the victims of this evil crime against humanity. As they pause, Congressman Green is also encouraging everyone to place their right hand over their heart and lower their head in silence for a moment—after which they are asked to conclude with saying, “We must always remember.”
By NO means should the history of the horrific institution of slavery be minimized, nor should its victims be ignored and forgotten.
They should be afforded the respect and solemn remembrance they deserve.