Declaration of Political Status of Freedmen
- Arthur Watkins Jr.
- Mar 24
- 1 min read
On March 24, 2025, a historic step was taken to solidify the identity and rights of a group long overlooked in American legal and political systems. The Declaration of Political Status of Freedmen formally affirms that Freedmen—those who trace their lineage to individuals emancipated from U.S. chattel slavery—are not simply a racial category, but a distinct legal and political class.
Unlike general terms like “Black” or “minority,” the term Freedmen is grounded in law—born out of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the Freedmen’s Bureau Act, and other Reconstruction-era mandates. This declaration protects the integrity of Freedmen identity, clarifies who is eligible for reparative justice, and reclaims the narrative of a people whose injuries were uniquely tied to federal action and inaction.
In a time when identity is often politicized, this declaration re-centers the conversation on lineage-based justice and affirms the Freedmen’s right to define and represent themselves.
Read the Declaration here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Me49IsTqDi00n4mMSv8hCDhe8PtMD-Wl/view?usp=drivesdk
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