Democratic Caucus vice chair: ‘Our country is founded on slavery’

Rep. Katharine Clark (D-Mass.), the vice chairwoman of the Democratic Caucus, said slavery is “interwoven” in the U.S. and must be addressed to remedy the issues facing African American communities across the country today.

“Our country is founded on slavery, it is so interwoven into the roots of our country and it is a stigma and a stain that we have to address,” she said Wednesday as the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties held a hearing on slavery reparations.

The hearing follows Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) introducing a bill to form a commission to study whether descendants of slaves should receive reparations.{mosads}

“What we have to do if we ever want to get it right in the future is examine our past,” Clark said.

Clark added that though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wants to “write that off as we currently aren’t slave owners,” his take ignores history, income inequality and the fight for civil rights.

“It is sad and ironic to note that Mitch McConnell also is holding up H.R.1 which would expand and protect voting rights in this country and he has said that is just a power grab,” she added.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a White House hopeful, has authored a companion bill in the upper chamber to study reparations.

McConnell said Tuesday he does not support reparations, adding that the country has “tried to deal with our original sin of slavery by fighting a civil war” and passing civil rights legislation.

McConnell in January blasted the Democrats’ proposal to make Election Day a federal holiday, included in H.R.1, calling it a “political power grab.” He said the bill will go nowhere in the Senate under his party control.