Today, Juneteenth, marks the end of slavery and is emerging as a rallying point for the demand that the United States reckon with the defining sins of the nation and commit to reparations for African Americans.

No matter how much the country would like to put its shameful history behind, the nation’s soul is stained by the immorality and the legacy of slavery. The United States was built on Black bondage and to this day, Black people have been subject to laws, policies, systems, and conditions that block the opportunities at the heart of the American dream, including education, personal and community safety, the accumulation of wealth, and the prospect of a better life for one's children.

There can be no hope for achieving a truly equitable society until the United States formally acknowledges the persistent economic and social impact of slavery, racism, and inequality on African Americans, and provides fair, significant, and meaningful compensation as payment for these extreme harms and as acts of healing and racial reconciliation.