Thread by @TexasTribune

1/ It has been more than a decade since Congress examined the topic of reparations for African Americans over slavery.

But today — on #Juneteenth — they did exactly that. texastribune.org/2019/06/19/she…

2/ U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, spearheaded the congressional hearing on reparations today on #Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the emancipation of slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865. texastribune.org/2019/06/19/she…

3/Her measure, which she says is “long overdue”, calls for a commission to “study and develop reparation proposals for African-Americans,” and consider a national apology by the government.

It may be a tough sell in the U.S. Senate. #Juneteenth
texastribune.org/2019/06/19/she…

4/ Earlier this week, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, dismissed reparations for slavery as not “a good idea,” and said that it would “be pretty hard to figure out who to compensate.” #Juneteenth texastribune.org/2019/06/19/she…

5/ Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, a witness at the hearing, rebuked McConnell.

“...Black people were subjected to a relentless campaign of terror.” That campaign, Coates added, “extended well into the lifetime of Majority Leader McConnell.” #Juneteenth
texastribune.org/2019/06/19/she…

6/ Critics argue that the country has already addressed reparations through policies like affirmative action. #Juneteenth texastribune.org/2019/06/19/she…

7/ Republican U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert of Tyler, TX, argued that Democrats, not Republicans, were the party who played a role in introducing Jim Crow laws, and that they were the party who historically supported the institution of slavery. #Juneteenth bit.ly/2x4h2Ej

8/8 Beto O’Rourke and Julián Castro — two Texans in the 2020 Democratic presidential race — have both previously said they backed Jackson Lee’s reparations proposal.

“To truly heal as a nation, it's time we settled the moral debt of slavery,” Castro said. bit.ly/2x4h2Ej