The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has issued a historic endorsement of a United Nations General Assembly resolution filed by the Republic of Ghana, declaring the trafficking and racialized, inter-generational chattel enslavement of Africans as among the gravest crimes against humanity.
The announcement comes ahead of the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Transatlantic Trafficking of Africans, and marks a significant moment in global efforts to acknowledge and address the enduring legacies of slavery and racialized oppression.
In a statement, the CBC praised the African Union’s leadership, noting that its 2025 Theme of the Year— “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations”—and the launch of a corresponding Decade of Action from 2026 to 2035 reflect a continental commitment to justice and reparative measures.
“Throughout history, progress has demanded more than good intentions—it has required moral courage and bold action,” the Caucus said. “This resolution confronts entrenched global challenges with clarity of purpose and a visionary approach to structural change. By aligning principle with collective action, it reflects a profound commitment to justice, accountability, and opportunity for Africans and people of African descent worldwide.”
The Caucus further emphasised that societies at defining moments can either retreat into complacency or rise to meet the demands of justice. It said the resolution represents the latter, signalling readiness to act with conviction, foresight, and unity across borders and generations.
The CBC called on UN Member States to seize the historic moment, adopt the resolution, and affirm their commitment to building a more just, equitable, and unified world—one free from the lingering impacts of transatlantic enslavement, colonialism, and apartheid, which the African Union recently classified as crimes against humanity during its Summit in Addis Ababa.
The endorsement by the Congressional Black Caucus is being hailed by human rights advocates as a major step toward international recognition of the atrocities endured by Africans and people of African descent, and a call for meaningful accountability and reparative action at the global level.
Read the statement in full below:
