Petition · Policy Action
PASS HR40 — REPARATIONS
Repair begins with the truth.
A nation cannot heal a wound it refuses to study. H.R. 40 is the first step.
TAKE ACTION★ THE BILL
Tracked from congress.gov · reintroduced each Congress until it passes.
★ WHAT'S HAPPENING
THE SITUATION
H.R. 40 — the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act — would create a federal commission to examine slavery, Jim Crow, and ongoing discrimination, and to develop concrete proposals for repair. Rep. Ayanna Pressley reintroduced it on Jan 3, 2025 (Senate companion S. 40, Sen. Cory Booker), and it now has 85+ members of Congress and 100+ organizations behind it.
The commission would hold hearings, gather testimony, and report to Congress within 18 months.
★ WHAT'S AT RISK
- The racial wealth gap — built by slavery, redlining, and exclusion — goes unstudied and unaddressed.
- The truth stays buried — without a formal commission, the full record of harm is never officially told.
- Repair stays theoretical — no body is charged with developing concrete proposals.
★ IN PLAIN TERMS
Reparations — Repair for a documented harm — not only payments, but truth, acknowledgment, and structural change so it cannot happen again.
H.R. 40 — Named for the unkept promise of "40 acres." It studies slavery’s harms and develops proposals — it does not itself pay reparations.
★ WHY IT MATTERS
6×
the white-to-Black median family wealth gap — the measurable legacy of unrepaired harm (Federal Reserve)
Economic justice is not charity — it is repair. The racial wealth gap is the direct result of slavery, redlining, exclusion, and generations of wealth extraction. A nation cannot heal a wound it refuses to study. H.R. 40 is the first step the country has never taken.
★ WHO'S CARRYING THIS FIGHT
From the Capitol to the streets, this is the line of power behind the bill.
★ THE CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTION
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery and empowers Congress to address its "badges and incidents." H.R. 40 exercises that authority — studying the ongoing harm to develop proposals for repair.
★ RUBRIC SCORES
How we score every fight in our Campaign Lab — so we put power where it changes lives.
Viability
Low
Recommendation
Coalition First
Justice & Freedom Agenda
Repair & Constitutional Reform
Democracy
Repairing
Repair
Repair Infrastructure
Public health
Moderate
Why this viability: It will not pass this Congress, but the coalition is large and the repair moment is global — the win now is building undeniable momentum.
★ WIN PATH · Build + message
Chokepoint: U.S. House (committee → floor) · The play: Grow the cosponsor count + coalition; tie it to the nation’s 250th-anniversary reckoning · Leverage: 85+ members · 100+ orgs · a global repair moment
UN Five Principles of repair
Eight-systems impact
Historical pattern: The unkept promise of 40 acres — repair proposed and denied for 160 years.
★ WHAT WE'RE DEMANDING
Pass H.R. 40 — establish the commission to study slavery’s harms and develop proposals for repair.
★ THE RECEIPTS
85+
members of Congress backing H.R. 40
Source: Rep. Pressley
100+
organizations in the coalition
Source: Rep. Pressley
18 mo.
for the commission to report to Congress
Source: H.R. 40 text
TAKE ACTION NOW
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