Clean Yield Endorses H.R.40, the Federal Reparations Bill

In recent years, Clean Yield has committed to reckoning with the racial injustices that have taken place in this country and the local community. We have written about this journey in the hopes that it will encourage others to join us in this essential work. One of the steps Clean Yield has taken has been to host a workshop with CQ Strategies for our clients called Exploring Reparations. We have learned more about the history of reparations and the potential impact reparations could have in the U.S., especially considering the massive racial wealth gap.

Today, Clean Yield is announcing the next step in its commitment to addressing racial injustice by endorsing H.R.40, which establishes the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. This bill calls upon the federal government to examine the lasting effects slavery has had throughout the history of the United States and recommend appropriate remedies, including reparations for Black Americans.

This endorsement comes with the acknowledgement of the legacy that the financial sector has had on the American slave economy. Plantation owners looked to the capital markets to provide funding for boats, goods, and eventually people as part of the slave trade. We recognize that the United States’ position as one of the leading economies in the world was built off the forced labor of enslaved people. We also acknowledge the role that we, as a financial services firm that has largely served wealthy, white families, have played in contributing to the racial wealth gap.

We understand that reparations are only a small step toward fully addressing the lasting impact that slavery has had on Black Americans. Although we believe that reparations are necessary to work toward closing the racial wealth gap, we believe that the federal government must explicitly acknowledge and apologize for slavery’s role in the modern economy. We believe that this is required for the country to move forward toward the more equitable and inclusive economy we clearly need. We are proud to endorse H.R.40, and we urge other companies in the Vermont community and in the financial services industry to do the same.

We invite you to contact your representative and urge them to support the advancement and passage of H.R.40. Information about how to raise your voice on this important issue is included below.

How to Contact Your Representative

We encourage you to reach out to your representatives and ask for their support for H.R.40. Here is how:

Use the link on https://action.aclu.org/send-message/reparations-slavery-now and enter your information to automatically send a message in support of H.R.40 to your representative.

Or:

• Find your representative by entering your address here: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr40/comment
• Follow the instructions and press the link to reach your representative’s website.
• Find either their phone number or email address on the contact page and reach out
  • If calling: Hi! I’m a constituent, and I am calling to urge Representative Keating to support H.R.40, which would examine the lasting effects slavery has had throughout the history of the United States and make recommendations for reparations to Congress. Reparations for slavery are necessary to advance racial justice in this country. I urge you to support H.R.40.
  • If emailing: Dear Representative Keating, I am writing to urge you to support H.R.40, which would examine the lasting effects slavery has had throughout the history of the United States and make recommendations for reparations to Congress. Reparations for slavery are necessary to advance racial justice in this country. I urge you to support H.R.40.
    Thank you for your time.