87R20759 BPG-D
By: Davis H.R. No. 726
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The belief in justice for all is foundational to our
democracy, yet more than 400 years after Africans were first
brought to these shores in chains, Black Americans continue to
struggle for full protection under the law and recognition as full
human beings; and
WHEREAS, For nearly 250 years, Black Americans were enslaved;
the passage of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1868
granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all, but
oppression persisted under Jim Crow laws; in the 1890s, journalist
and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells decried the horrors of
lynching and the failure of the nation "to put a stop to this
wholesale slaughter"; almost 130 years after her call to action,
Black men, women, and children are still denied the right to live
safely and free from harm in their homes and communities, and the
youngest African Americans are growing up as witnesses to a level of
barbarous cruelty that Ida B. Wells would find all too familiar; and
WHEREAS, In contemporary America, the ease of video recording
has allowed ordinary citizens to document incident after incident
of horrific, often lethal violence against Black Americans; as a
result, public awareness of this brutality has grown, but attempts
to seek justice in these cases have exposed the deep, unhealed
wounds of systemic racism and left many to ask if Black lives will
ever matter in our state and in America; and
WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated
long-standing and persistent inequities in health, education, and
economic security, while continual hate-fueled actions underscore
the destructive impact of systemic racism and bigotry; the culture
that enables white nationalism and white supremacy foments violence
not only against African Americans, but also other people of color
and vulnerable communities; a rise in anti-Asian rhetoric, in
particular, has caused racist extremists to increasingly target
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; and
WHEREAS, The evils of oppression have taken a costly toll on
our state and nation, and justice and liberty are but empty promises
in a perpetual climate of hate and racial animus; although we
cannot legislate away racism, we can help expose it to the light; we
can adopt anti-racist policies and renew our commitment to end
systemic racism, eliminate discrimination, and ensure fair and
equitable treatment of people of color and members of other
marginalized communities; and
WHEREAS, Silence and inaction allow racism, bigotry, and
violence to fester at all levels of society, and by declaring that
"Black Lives Matter," we reinforce our understanding that every
American, no matter their race, religion, gender, language,
national origin, or sexual orientation, deserves protection from
inequities in health, education, and economic opportunity, and we
reaffirm that the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness belongs to each of us; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas
Legislature hereby express its support for the efforts of the Black
Lives Matter movement.