Congressman Steven Horsford Calls for Formation of Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Commission | Congressman Steven Horsford
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Congressman Steven Horsford Calls for Formation of Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Commission

June 3, 2020

Las Vegas, Nev. -- Today, Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) joined fellow Congressional Black Caucus Member Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California, and more than 40 additional colleagues, in announcing legislation calling for the establishment of the first United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT). The Commission will examine the effects of slavery, institutional racism, and discrimination against people of color, and how our history impacts laws and policies today.

"Communities across the country are mourning the death of George Floyd and the trauma inflicted by centuries of institutional racism against the Black community, and its allied communities of color. We must all come together to truly heal and transform our nation," Congressman Horsford said. "As we continue to march toward progress, this legislation and the commission it creates will allow us to look inequality in its face and confront our past injustices. The inequities we are seeing across the country -- from the mistreatment of Black men and women at the hands of biased policing policies to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the Black community -- must be addressed to move our country forward."

Earlier this week, the Congressman also joined Congresswoman Lee in introducing a resolution to condemn police brutality, racial profiling and the excessive use of force, alongside Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Ilhan Omar (MN-05) and Chairwoman Karen Bass (CA-37) of the Congressional Black Caucus.

The purpose of the Commission is to properly acknowledge, memorialize, and be a catalyst for progress toward jettisoning the belief in a hierarchy of human value based on race, embracing our common humanity, and permanently eliminating persistent racial inequities.

This legislation is endorsed by Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCR), American Public Health Association, Embrey Family Foundation, Open Society US Foundation, and Duke University's Center on Genomics, Race, Identity, Difference and Center, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.

The legislation – supported by a broad coalition of members of Congress and community partners – will be officially introduced Thursday, June 4. The full text of the resolution can be found here.