Lee, who has represented Oakland and Berkeley, California, in the US House since 1998, spoke with Melissa Perry-Harris, the Maya Angelou Presidential Chair at Wake Forest University.
“Forty countries have established truth commissions. And the U.S. funds many of these international commissions through the U.S. Institute of Peace,” said Lee, referring to the nonpartisan agency established by Congress in 1984 and dedicated to resolving violent conflicts abroad to ensure U.S. and global security .
“And there are commissions all over the country at the local level,” he said, referring to the work of truth commissions that have been working in communities. “So, it’s not like it’s new in this country, because we’ve done this at the local level. But I want it to be a national commission.”
From Lee’s perspective, the commission is a path to healing: “It’s not about accusing people. It’s about telling the truth, because that’s the only way forward.
The proposed truth commission is in line with other legislation Lee has introduced: H.R. 40, Commission to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African American Law.
“Reparations are the conclusion of this process through the United States Congress,” Lee said. “You can’t just move forward and heal without changing this country. And that means reparations.”
“Individuals, families of people who enslaved people, who benefited from it, should be able to say how they benefited,” Lee said, acknowledging the difficulty of discussing reparations. “But it’s the institutions that we have to really focus on, all over the country. I mean the insurance industry, the universities, the government, the legalization of African slavery is punishable and under the law.
The 2022 Truth and Transformation Conference opens the door for such discussions. With panels covering affirmative action policies and current diversity practices, monuments and racial reckoning, and the reparations movement that has taken place in the United States, attendees can, as Muhammad suggests, learn what the future holds.
You can watch the full Forum event to learn more about Lee’s proposed legislation.
Photo by Graeme Sloan / Sipa USA via AP Images
