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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Convict Leasing and Labor Project is dedicated |
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to documenting past and present instances of forced labor; and |
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WHEREAS, Forced labor has a long and shameful history in our |
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country, and CLLP works to educate the public about earlier abuses |
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under slavery and convict leasing; the group also studies current |
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forced-labor arrangements in U.S. prisons and aims to abolish these |
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last vestiges of involuntary servitude in order to bring the United |
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States into compliance with Article 4 of the Universal Declaration |
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of Human Rights; and |
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WHEREAS, In Fort Bend County, CLLP has been active in |
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addressing the legacy of the convict leasing system, which replaced |
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slavery as a means of exploitation and repression; CLLP activist |
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and historian Reginald Moore played a key role in the discovery of |
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the skeletal remains of 95 African Americans, identified as victims |
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of convict leasing, who were interred in unmarked graves on a |
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property owned by the Fort Bend Independent School District in |
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Sugar Land; and |
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WHEREAS, CLLP is working with the school district and the |
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City of Sugar Land to develop an appropriate memorial for these |
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victims of convict leasing; in addition, the group is seeking to |
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establish a permanent museum of slavery and convict leasing; it |
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also networks with prison reform activists and organizations |
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striving to end the contemporary practice of forced labor in |
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prisons across the country; and |
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WHEREAS, Through its tireless efforts, the Convict Leasing |
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and Labor Project is helping to uncover a chapter of our state's |
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history that has been too long ignored or forgotten, and the group's |
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advocacy brings to light the tragic ways in which that bitter |
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heritage continues to resonate; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor the Convict Leasing and Labor Project for |
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its exceptional contributions and extend to its members sincere |
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best wishes for continued success in their endeavors; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the organization as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |