Regular Session 2017-2018 Senate Resolution 0007 P.N. 0156

PRINTER'S NO. 156

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE RESOLUTION

No.

Session of

2017

INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, VOGEL, SCAVELLO, FARNESE, COSTA,

FONTANA, STREET, HAYWOOD, AUMENT, SCHWANK AND HUGHES,

JANUARY 24, 2017

REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, JANUARY 24, 2017

A RESOLUTION

Honoring the contributions that African Americans have made in

building our nation, acknowledging the wrongs of slavery and

expressing Pennsylvania's profound regret for its role in

slavery.

WHEREAS, Observances are held across the country and this

Commonwealth during the month of February to increase public

awareness of the importance of black history and the

contributions that African Americans have made toward their

country's rich history; and

WHEREAS, The contributions of African-American citizens as

scientists, inventors, legislators, farmers, educators,

explorers and countless other professions have greatly benefited

our nation and this Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, African Americans have, throughout our country's

history, made it possible for us to move closer to the ideals on

which America was founded, as stated in the Declaration of

Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all

men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator

with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,

Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"; and

WHEREAS, During the existence of the trans-Atlantic slave

trade, millions of Africans were forcibly abducted and enslaved

in the New World and millions more died during passage; and

WHEREAS, To prime Africans for slavery, the fundamental

values of the Africans were shattered; and

WHEREAS, Slaves were brutalized, humiliated, dehumanized and

subjected to the indignity of being stripped of their names and

heritage, women and girls were raped and families were

disassembled as husbands and wives, mothers and daughters and

fathers and sons were sold into slavery apart from one another;

and

WHEREAS, A series of complex colonial laws were enacted to

relegate the status of Africans and their descendants to

slavery, in spite of their loyalty, dedication and service to

the country, including heroic and distinguished service in the

Revolutionary War, the Civil War and all other conflicts and

military actions involving the United States military; and

WHEREAS, Colonial Pennsylvania was a slave-owning society

with an estimated population of 11,000 slaves in 1754 and the

lives of free blacks in the colony were controlled by law; and

WHEREAS, While the United States outlawed the trans-Atlantic

slave trade in 1808, the domestic slave trade in the colonies

and illegal importation continued for several decades; and

WHEREAS, The system of slavery had become entrenched in

American history and the social fabric and the issue of enslaved

Africans had to be addressed as a national issue, contributing

to the Civil War from 1861 to 1865 and the passage of the 13th

Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which

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abolished slavery and involuntary servitude on December 6, 1865;

and

WHEREAS, Throughout their existence in the United States and

during the decades after the Civil Rights Movement, African

Americans have found the struggle to overcome the bitter legacy

of slavery long and arduous and for many African Americans the

scars left behind are unbearable, haunting their psyches and

clouding their vision of the future and of the nation's many

positive attributes; and

WHEREAS, The story of the enslavement of Africans and their

descendants, the human carnage and the dehumanizing atrocities

committed during slavery should not be purged from

Pennsylvania's history or discounted; and

WHEREAS, The faith, perseverance, hope and endless triumphs

of African Americans and their significant contributions to the

development of this Commonwealth and the nation should be

embraced, celebrated and retold for generations to come; and

WHEREAS, An apology for centuries of brutal dehumanization

and injustices cannot erase the past, but acknowledgement of the

wrongs can speed racial healing and reconciliation and help

Pennsylvanians confront the ghosts of their pasts; and

WHEREAS, To date, nine states have issued resolutions

apologizing for slavery; and

WHEREAS, The House of Representatives of the Congress of the

United States passed a resolution in 2008 apologizing for

slavery and subsequent discriminatory laws and the Senate of the

Congress of the United States passed a similar resolution in

2009; and

WHEREAS, It is important for Pennsylvania to make a formal

apology for slavery so that it can move forward and seek

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reconciliation and harmony for all its residents; and

WHEREAS, We recognize the blood, sweat and tears of African

Americans and also recognize the inheritance stolen from them

and honor their significant redemptive contributions to the

building of America; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate honor the contributions that

African Americans have made in building our nation; and be it

further

RESOLVED, That the Senate acknowledge the fundamental

injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery; and be

it further

RESOLVED, That the Senate apologize for Pennsylvania's role

in slavery and the wrongs committed against African Americans

and their ancestors who suffered under slavery; and be it

further

RESOLVED, That the Senate express its deepest sympathies and

solemn regrets to those who were enslaved and the descendants of

those slaves who were deprived of life, human dignity and the

constitutional protections accorded to all citizens of the

United States; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Senate implore all residents of this

Commonwealth to be tolerant and understanding of one another,

with the goal of eliminating all racial bias, prejudice and

discriminatory behavior and to remember and teach their children

about the history of slavery to ensure that these tragedies will

neither be forgotten nor repeated; and be it further

RESOLVED, That it is the intent of the Senate that this

resolution not be used in, or be the basis of, any type of

litigation.

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