Dear President Biden,
Upon reflecting on the effects of the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade and colonialism on Africa, I think about the lasting impact it continued to have throughout history. Effects ranging from economic, cultural, and psychological throughout generations of descendants are visible today.
The Accra Declaration on Reparations and Racial Healing calls for several actions as a response to the effects of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. It calls for the following:
- A reformation of global systems and structures
- Return of stolen artifacts
- The United Nations to extend the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent
- A process of acknowledgement and healing for the roles that Europe and Africans played in the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade.
I believe that these reparations will be a step in the direction of healing for not only the descendants of the people in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, but also for the world community. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade affected the globe in a majority of ways. The most obvious is the fact that people were forcibly taken from their homes and ancestral lands. There are people living now whose identity and history are tied to this slave trade and thus results in people living away from their ancestral land. An extremely dangerous effect is the lasting racism and discrimination that nations have faced. Although these reparations may not solve all issues overnight, it is a step in the right direction.
The U.S. had an extremely large role in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. I believe that if the U.S. takes a stand and advocates for this declaration, that is a step in the right direction. President Biden, the U.S. has a long history of racism, discrimination and prejudice that stems from the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. If the U.S. takes a strong stand and makes it clear that they support this declaration, it will show the rest of the world that the U.S. is not only supporting the declaration, but is also willing to face and heal from the dark history of its own nation.
Thank you.