"Slavery Days was Hell" states former Slave Dalia Garlic in the 1930's

Dalia Garlic 1930's

"𝗦𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹. 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱. 𝗕𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀. 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝘄 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻. '𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝘆. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲? 𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝘄𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆, 𝗱𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼' 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱' 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼' 𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁, 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴' 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝘄𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. 𝗗𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻'...

𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗿. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺 𝗰𝗿𝘆. 𝗗𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵..."

--- 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗰, 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗴𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘆, 𝗔𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗺𝗮, 𝗯𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗿, 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 1930𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝘀. 𝗙𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 "𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁" 100 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗹𝗱. 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻, 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 1830𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 14 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗮, 𝗔𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗺𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗮.

 

Three white men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia

Jonathan Allen and Rich McKay

Wed, November 24, 2021, 6:02 AM·4 min read

Story by Reuters/Yahoo

By Jonathan Allen and Rich McKay

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (Reuters) -Three white men were convicted of murder on Wednesday for chasing and shooting a Black man named Ahmaud Arbery as he ran in their neighborhood, with a Georgia jury rejecting a self-defense claim in a trial that once again probed America's divisive issues of race and guns.

The verdict was delivered by the jury, consisting of one Black man and 11 white men and women, after about a two-week trial in the coastal city of Brunswick in a case that hinged on whether the defendants had a right to confront the unarmed 25-year-old avid jogger last year on a hunch he was fleeing a crime.

Gregory McMichael, 65, his son Travis McMichael, 35, and their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan, 52, were charged with murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal intent to commit a felony. They face a minimum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Jurors reached their verdict on the second day of deliberations.

There was never any dispute that the younger McMichael fired his pump-action shotgun three times at Arbery at close range on Feb. 23, 2020, in the suburban community of Satilla Shores. It was captured on a graphic cellphone video made by Bryan, stoking outrage when it emerged more than two months later and the public learned that none of the three men had been arrested.

Lawyers for the McMichaels argued that the killing was justified after Arbery ran past the McMichaels' driveway in a neighborhood that had experienced a spate of property thefts. Both McMichaels grabbed their guns and jumped in their pickup truck in pursuit, with Bryan, unarmed, joining moments later.

Prosecutors said the defendants had "assumed the worst" about a Black man out on a Sunday afternoon jog. He was chased by the defendants for about five minutes around the looping streets.

The verdict follows a jury's Nov. 19 acquittal https://www.reuters.com/world/us/jury-rittenhouse-murder-trial-deliberate-fourth-day-2021-11-19 in another closely watched trial of an 18-year-old named Kyle Rittenhouse who fatally shot two men during racial justice protests in Wisconsin. Both cases highlighted the broader issue of U.S. gun violence that President Joe Biden has called a national embarrassment https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-faces-increased-pressure-act-guns-after-indianapolis-shooting-2021-04-16. In both, defendants claimed self-defense.

The three men face a federal trial next year on hate-crime charges, accused in an indictment of violating Arbery's civil rights by embarking on the fatal chase because of his "race and color."

Some Black Americans used a despairing phrase to describe a case seen as another example of Black people falling under suspicion while innocently doing an everyday activity: "running while Black." Arbery's name was added to those invoked in nationwide anti-racism protests in 2020 that erupted after the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, both of whom were Black.

The prosecution was widely seen as another test case in how the U.S. justice system handles instances of unarmed Black people killed by white people. During the trial, there was almost no evidence presented or discussion of race as a motive.

The issue of race hung over the trial. A nearly all-white jury was selected, and one of the defense lawyers repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, sought the removal of Black pastors and civil rights leaders including the Rev. Jesse Jackson from the courtroom.

Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley said he was required to accept the "race-neutral" reasons defense lawyers gave for the removal of all but one potential Black juror. Black activists said it showed again how the justice system was skewed against Black Americans.

CITIZEN'S ARREST

Defense lawyers cited a Georgia law codified during the 19th century U.S. Civil War that allowed anyone to make a citizen's arrest of someone they have reasonable suspicion is fleeing a serious crime they committed. The law was repealed in the wake of Arbery's killing.

The elder McMichael's lawyer, Laura Hogue, told jurors the defendants had a duty to catch Arbery, who she portrayed as a frightening burglar with "long dirty toenails," using a description from the autopsy report.

Lead prosecutor Linda Dunikoski chided the defense for aiming to "malign the victim," calling that "offensive."

No evidence ever emerged connecting Arbery to any Satilla Shore thefts.

Travis McMichael, a former U.S. Coast Guard mechanic and the only defendant to take the witness stand, tearfully testified that he fired in self defense as Arbery grabbed the shotgun he was carrying while chasing him in the truck.

Under cross-examination by a prosecutor, he conceded he told the police hours after the shooting he could not say for sure if Arbery actually grabbed the gun.

(Reporting by Rich McKay in Brunswick; Editing by Will Dunham and Cynthia Osterman)

 

All 3 defendants found guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery

RUSS BYNUM

Wed, November 24, 2021, 1:05 AM·3 min read

Story by AP/Yahoo

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — All three men charged in the death of Ahmaud Arbery were convicted of murder Wednesday.

The jury reached its decision after more than 10 hours of deliberations following a trial in which prosecutors argued that the defendants provoked a confrontation with Arbery and defense attorneys said their clients were acting in self-defense.

Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael grabbed guns and jumped in a pickup truck to pursue the 25-year-old Black man after seeing him running in their neighborhood outside the Georgia port city of Brunswick in February 2020. Their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan joined the pursuit in his own pickup and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael fatally shooting Arbery.

Arbery’s killing became part of a larger national reckoning on racial injustice after the graphic video leaked online two months later. Though prosecutors didn’t argue that racism motivated the killing, federal authorities have charged all three men with hate crimes, alleging they chased and killed Arbery because he was Black. All three defendants are white. They are scheduled to go on trial in February.

The men were charged with murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and attempted false imprisonment.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — Jury deliberations resumed for a second day Wednesday in the trial of the three white men charged with chasing and killing Ahmaud Arbery, with jurors reviewing the cellphone video of the 25-year-old Black man being blasted with a shotgun on a residential street in coastal Georgia.

The jury sent a note to Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley soon after returning to court Wednesday morning asking to view two versions of the shooting video — the original and one that investigators enhanced to reduce shadows — three times apiece.

The jury returned to the courtroom to see the videos and listen again the 911 call one of the defendants made from the bed of a pickup truck about 30 seconds before the shooting.

The disproportionately white jury is weighing charges of murder and other crimes against father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan. It received the case around midday Tuesday and spent about six hours deliberating before adjourning without a verdict.

The McMichaels told police they suspected Arbery was a fleeing burglar when they armed themselves and jumped in a pickup truck to chase him on Feb. 23, 2020. Bryan joined the pursuit when they passed his house and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael blasting Arbery at close range with a shotgun as Arbery threw punches and grabbed for the weapon.

On the 911 call the jury reviewed, Greg McMichael tells an operator: “I’m out here in Satilla Shores. There's a Black male running down the street.”

He then starts shouting, apparently as Arbery is running toward the McMichael's idling truck with Bryan's truck coming up behind him: “Stop right there! Damn it, stop! Travis!” Gunshots can be heard a few second later.

Arbery’s killing became part of a larger national reckoning on racial injustice after the graphic video of his death leaked online two months later and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case, quickly arresting the three men. Each of them is charged with murder and other crimes.

Defense attorneys contend the McMichaels were attempting a legal citizen’s arrest when they set off after Arbery, seeking to detain and question him as a suspected burglar after he was seen running from a nearby home under construction.

Travis McMichael testified that he shot Arbery in self-defense, saying the running man turned and attacked with his fists while running past the idling truck where Travis McMichael stood with his shotgun.

Prosecutors said there was no evidence Arbery had committed crimes in the defendants’ neighborhood. He had enrolled at a technical college and was preparing at the time to study to become an electrician like his uncles.

MAJORITY WHIP CONGRESSMAN JIM CLYBURN (SC) STATEMENT ON HOUSE PASSAGE OF THE BUILD BACK BETTER ACT

MAJORITY WHIP CONGRESSMAN JIM CLYBURN (SC) STATEMENT ON HOUSE PASSAGE OF THE BUILD BACK BETTER ACT

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn issued the following statement on the Build Back Better Act after today’s passage in the U.S. House of Representatives:

“The House has taken the first step in enacting the third leg of the three-legged stool of President Biden’s agenda. House passage of the Build Back Better Act balances the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in stabilizing our country. Together, these three historic pieces of legislation help struggling families recover from the pandemic, strengthen our crumbling infrastructure, and keep our economy running.

“One of the many provisions in the Build Back Better legislation that invests in American families is the extension of ARP’s Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion that has lifted so many children out of poverty. The CTC provides $300 a month to families with children under 6 and $250 a month to families with children ages 6 to 17. In South Carolina, 963,000 children qualify for this tax credit expansion, with the average payment per household of $428. The families receiving the CTC payments can use those funds on food, school expenses, utilities, and child care, and if the Build Back Better Act is enacted, they will continue to receive this lifeline through 2022. Combined with the investments in Build Back Better that cap child care for most families at 7 percent of household income and provide universal pre-school for 3- and 4-year olds, this legislation is a game changer for families.

“I am especially pleased the Build Back Better Act includes $9 billion to support minority-serving higher education institutions, including seven HBCUs in my district. These funds will improve the research and development infrastructure at these institutions, as well as strengthen their academic, administrative, and fiscal capacity. These funds build upon the $2.6 billion HBCUs received from the American Rescue Plan to address the impacts of the pandemic on under-resourced institutions.

“Finally, I am proud that the Build Back Better Act closes the Medicaid coverage gap. There are 12 states, including South Carolina, that have not expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), leaving 2.2 million low-income uninsured Americans without any assistance to obtain health care coverage. The Build Back Better legislation provides subsidies for these low-income residents falling into the coverage gap in the non-expansion states enabling them to purchase coverage on the ACA Marketplace at no cost. This will significantly improve the health and well-being of 100,000 low-income South Carolinians in the coverage gap, who were denied access to health care by their own state’s leadership.

“Experts have told us that the Build Back Better Act will positively impact our economy. This legislation will lower costs and fight inflation because it is fully paid for by making big corporations and the wealthiest pay their fair share.

“It is my hope that the Senate will follow our lead and support this opportunity to make America’s greatness more accessible and affordable for all.”

Wilt Chamberlain Scouting Video (Most Dominant NBA Player Ever)

BREAKING NEWS: Kyle Rittenhouse found not guilty on all counts

 BREAKING NEWS: Kyle Rittenhouse found not guilty on all counts

NAACP President Derrick Johnson: 

The verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse case is a travesty and fails to deliver justice on behalf of those who lost their lives as they peacefully assembled to protest against police brutality and violence. Rittenhouse's decision to go to Kenosha and provoke protestors was unwarranted. Moreover, the outcome of this case sets a dangerous precedent. We have seen this same outcome time and time again: a justice system that presents different outcomes based on the race of the accused.

This verdict is a reminder of the treacherous role that white supremacy and privilege play within our justice system. In the midst of this disappointing verdict, we must continue to work to ensure that those who seek to harm progress do not find refuge for their illicit acts in a system meant to protect victims.

Fighting Forward,

Derrick Johnson
@DerrickNAACP
President and CEO
NAACP

How black people lost all our wealth and land

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CONGRESSMAN JIM CLYBURN, MOULTON INTRODUCE LANDMARK LEGISLATION TO PROVIDE BLACK WWII VETERANS, DESCENDANTS FULL GI BILL BENEFITS; WARNOCK TO INTRODUCE IN SENATE

CONGRESSMAN JIM CLYBURN, MOULTON INTRODUCE LANDMARK LEGISLATION TO PROVIDE BLACK WWII VETERANS, DESCENDANTS FULL GI BILL BENEFITS; WARNOCK TO INTRODUCE IN SENATE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In 1944 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the GI Bill into law. In theory, the GI Bill represented a promise from the country to the people who fought on its behalf that their sacrifice would be rewarded with the opportunity to attend college and build generational wealth. In practice, generations of Black veterans of World War II and their descendants were robbed of this promise because of Jim Crow and the wide racial disparity in the bill’s implementation.

In honor of Veterans Day, 77 years later, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (SC-06) and Representative Seth Moulton (MA-06) introduced legislation in the House, and Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) is set to introduce in the Senate, legislation designed to begin to repair the damage: The Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr. and Sgt. Joseph H. Maddox GI Bill Restoration Act of 2021, more simply known as the GI Bill Restoration Act. The bill would provide the families of Black veterans of World War II a transferable benefit that their descendants can use to attend college, secure housing, start businesses and build generational wealth.

The bill is named in honor of two World War II veterans who exemplify the indignities African American veterans faced after serving their country.

“I was a young student when President Truman integrated the Armed Services in response to the blinding of Isaac Woodard, and that stuck with me throughout my life. We must rectify what happened not only to Sgt. Woodard, but to all the Black World War II veterans who were treated unjustly when they returned home from serving their country and denied their GI Bill benefits,” said Congressman Clyburn. “We all know that the quickest way to build wealth is through education and homeownership. So many Black families were denied this path to the middle class. It is important to acknowledge this injustice and help address the wealth gap that was exacerbated by the government’s failure to fulfill this promise to World War II veterans of color.”

“We all know the GI Bill lifted up a generation of WWII veterans and built the American century. It’s been called the most successful piece of legislation ever. But most Americans don’t know that many Black veterans were left out: denied benefits, denied homes, denied the generational wealth that comes from going to college,” said Congressman Moulton, the author of the bill. “We can never fully repay those American heroes. But we can fix this going forward for their families. While our generation didn’t commit this wrong, we should be committed to making it right. This legislation honors our nation’s commitment to America's vets.”

“Black servicemembers fought valiantly in Europe and the Pacific for freedom from tyranny, with hope that their patriotism would be greeted with equality and opportunity once they returned home,” said Senator Warnock. “Racial inequity in how the immense benefits of the original GI Bill were disbursed are well-documented, and we’ve all seen how these inequities have trickled down over time, leaving Black World War II veterans and their families without what they earned through service and sacrifice. The GI Bill Restoration Act represents a major step toward righting this injustice and repairing the economic harms experienced by Black WWII veterans and their families as a result of discrimination, and will help ensure their descendants can access the full range of GI Bill benefits they earned through their heroic service.”

Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr.

Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr. was traveling home by bus to Winnsboro, South Carolina, still wearing his uniform after being honorably discharged, when a small-town police chief forcibly removed him from the bus and blinded him with his nightstick. The police chief was acquitted of the crime by an all-white jury, but Sgt. Woodard’s horrific abuse prompted President Truman to sign an Executive Order integrating the armed services.

Sgt. Joseph Maddox

After being injured during his service and medically discharged, Sgt. Joseph Maddox, a World War II-era veteran, applied and was accepted to Harvard University for a master’s degree program. He sought VA assistance from his local office to help with the tuition and was denied payment to “avoid setting a precedent.” After seeking assistance from the NAACP, the VA in Washington, D.C. ultimately promised to get Sgt. Maddox the educational benefits he deserved.

Background

The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (the original “GI Bill”) provided a range of economic benefits to returning veterans of World War II, including guaranteeing low-cost mortgages and low-interest loans to start a business or farm, unemployment compensation, and education assistance.

While the original GI Bill ushered in decades of prosperity for post-war America, access to this prosperity was limited for Black World War II veterans who were denied full access to these benefits by mostly-white state and local Veterans Administrations.

The Veterans Administration adopted the Federal Housing Administration’s (“FHA”) well-documented, racially-exclusive housing programs when it began to insure mortgages for returning veterans. Big developments like Levittown and Daly City, built after World War II, were financed in part by the Veterans Administration with the same racial restrictions the FHA had. Black veterans also lacked full access to the GI Bill’s education assistance programs. Nineteen percent of white World War II veterans earned a college degree as a result of the GI Bill compared to only six percent of Black veterans.

Purposeful discriminatory federal, state, and local policies, along with political and institutional barriers, created significant inequity in access to GI Bill benefits, prevented these heroes from achieving the full economic mobility potential provided by these comprehensive federal benefits, and affected the accumulation of wealth by Black families over generations.

This legislation extends to the surviving spouses and certain direct descendants of Black veterans of World War II eligibility for certain housing and educational assistance programs administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Specifically, the Act:

● Extends access to the VA Loan Guaranty Program to the surviving spouse and certain direct descendants of Black World War II veterans who are alive at the time of the bill’s enactment;

● Extends access to the Post-911 GI Bill educational assistance benefits to the surviving spouse and certain direct descendants of Black World War II veterans alive at the time of the bill’s enactment;

● Requires a GAO report outlining the number of individuals who received the educational and housing benefits; and

● Establishes a Blue-Ribbon Panel of independent experts to study inequities in the distribution of benefits and assistance administered to female and minority members of the Armed Forces and provide recommendations on additional assistance to repair those inequities.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 11, 2021

CONTACT: Hope Derrick, Hope.Derrick@Mail.House.Gov, 202-226-3210

Bernadine Stallings, Bernadine.Stallings@Mail.House.Gov