# Understanding the Freedmen's Settlements Resolution

This resolution is essentially Congress saying "we need to pay attention to and help historic Black communities that were built by freed slaves after the Civil War." It's not a law that forces action, but rather a statement of support and a call for the federal government to do better by these communities.

After slavery ended, formerly enslaved African Americans created over 1,200 settlements and towns across the country—places like Allensworth, California and Africatown, Alabama. These communities were built from scratch by people pooling resources, buying land, and creating their own schools, churches, and businesses. But many of these towns have been systematically neglected, destroyed, or surrounded by pollution for over 150 years. The resolution points out specific examples: Sand Branch, Texas has had no clean running water for 30 years; Africatown residents suffer from elevated cancer rates due to nearby chemical plants; Mossville, Louisiana is surrounded by refineries and petrochemical facilities. The resolution acknowledges that these communities faced not just slavery's end, but also racial violence, Jim Crow laws, redlining that cut off their access to credit and investment, and environmental racism that placed polluting industries right next to their homes.

What this resolution actually does is encourage federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Housing and Urban Development to coordinate efforts to help these communities. It calls for funding historic preservation, documenting the history of these settlements, protecting residents from gentrification and environmental hazards, and investing in small business development and clean infrastructure like sewage systems and clean water. It's framed as fulfilling promises that were never kept after the Civil War and recognizing that these communities deserve the same basic services and protections as other American towns.

Restoring the promise of freedom: honoring, preserving, and investing in Freedmen's Settlements.

Kamlager-Dove, Sydney

<p>This resolution recognizes, and expresses support for preserving and investing in, freedmen's settlements.</p><p>Freedmen's settlements generally were established before and after emancipation by free and formerly enslaved African Americans to create self-sustaining communities away from racial violence and economic discrimination.</p>