This resolution honors freedmen's settlements—over 1,200 communities established by formerly enslaved and free African Americans after emancipation—and calls for federal action to preserve and invest in them. The resolution highlights how many of these historic settlements, including Sand Branch, Texas; Africatown, Alabama; and Allensworth, California, have suffered from centuries of disinvestment, environmental racism, and discrimination, leaving residents in poverty without adequate water, sewer infrastructure, or economic opportunities. The House expresses support for comprehensive documentation of these communities through oral histories and physical preservation, coordinated federal investment across agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Housing and Urban Development, and community-led economic development to prevent gentrification and environmental hazards. While this is a non-binding resolution that does not allocate specific funding or establish firm timelines, it frames the issue as an opportunity for the federal government to fulfill historical promises made during Reconstruction and expand on commitments signaled when Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.
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