Restoring the promise of freedom: honoring, preserving, and investing in Freedmen's Settlements.
This House resolution, H. Res. 173, titled “Restoring the promise of freedom: honoring, preserving, and investing in Freedmen's Settlements,” is a non-binding statement of principle. It recognizes the historical creation of freedmen’s settlements (Black towns founded by formerly enslaved and free Black Americans) as self-sustaining communities, many of which faced violence, displacement, and neglect over generations. The resolution calls for documenting and preserving these communities, investing in their legacy (including historic preservation and economic justice initiatives), and coordinating across federal, state, local, and nonprofit entities to protect these settlements from development pressures, environmental hazards, and gentrification. While it references funding for preservation and economic justice, the measure does not itself create new law or appropriations; instead it signals congressional intent and can shape future policy and funding decisions. It also highlights specific communities as illustrations of ongoing challenges and opportunities for restoration and resilience.
Key Points
- 1Recognition and purpose: Acknowledges the historical role of Freedmen's Settlements as places of land and housing security built by emancipated African Americans, and affirms that racial justice work continues beyond Juneteenth 1865 and into the present.
- 2Documentation and memorialization: Supports comprehensive documentation of Freedmen's Settlements, using oral histories and existing records, along with physical commemoration of settlement remnants to preserve memory and teach future generations.
- 3Investment for preservation and economic justice: Encourages designated funding for historic preservation and for economic justice initiatives to benefit descendants and current residents, with the aim of sustaining these communities.
- 4Federal-state-local and nonprofit coordination: Calls for coordination among the Federal Government, States, agencies, and nonprofit organizations to understand historical injustices, protect communities, and align development with community needs (including environmental and housing considerations).
- 5Protection from development and disparities: Promotes strategies to protect Freedmen's Settlements from gentrification and environmental hazards through investment, development regulation, and community-led economic development, while supporting infrastructure, education, workforce development, and small business creation.