Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter, the distinguished Professor of Sociology behind the book Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation, is in Washington, D.C., to advance his ongoing push for reparations.
Hunter will be joined by Sen. Cory Booker and other legislators in an advocacy call for reparations and a reintroduction of the Reparations Now resolution. The week-long push for reparations includes a congressional briefing on advancing reparative justice on May 13 and a May 15 press conference with Rep. Summer Lee at the House Triangle to reintroduce the Reparations Now resolution, and the National Reparations Rally with the National Reparations Network, timed to coincide with Malcolm X’s 100th birthday.
“As we grapple with the traumas of our history, we must give the proper attention to the possibility of reparations in order to truly heal,” Hunter said in a press release. “I will never stop working to bring reparations into the national conversation of justice and healing.”
Joining Booker and Lee in the push for reparations includes Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Rep. Hank Johnson. The Democratic leaders are showing their commitment to the fight following their reintroduction of reparations legislation in February.
Presented during Black History Month, Pressley co-led the reintroduction of H.R. 40—the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, alongside Senator Booker. Pressley stressed the bill’s importance, saying, “Reparations are a necessary step in achieving justice.”
“We are in a moment of anti-Blackness on steroids, and we refuse to be silent,” Pressley said. “We will not back down in our pursuit of racial justice.”
As the Trump Administration carries out its unprecedented onslaught of anti-Black policies, I’m joining colleagues in introducing #HR40Reparations.
An essential step toward repairing the harm of slavery and its aftermath.
Tune in:https://t.co/oitgIA6GJt
— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) February 12, 2025
The bill aims to create a federal commission to examine the enduring effects of slavery and its aftermath, with the goal of developing actionable reparation proposals for African American descendants of enslaved people. It also underscores that reparations can take many forms—often financial, but also other measures designed to address and repair the lasting harm of slavery and systemic racism.
Lee’s reintroduction of the Reparations Now resolution builds on the groundwork laid by former Rep. Cori Bush, who first introduced it in 2023.
“We as a nation have not yet truly acknowledged and grappled with the ways slavery, racism, and white supremacy continue to disadvantage African Americans,” Booker said in January. “Commissioning a study to better understand where our country has fallen short will help lawmakers better address the racial disparities and inequalities that persist today as a result of generational injustices.”
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