Senate Resolution No. 2141

BY: Senator SANDERS

COMMEMORATING the Conference on Slavery, the
Transatlantic Slave Trade, and Reparatory Justice,
the first extra-territorial Juneteenth celebration
outside the United States, in Accra, Ghana from June
17-19, 2026

WHEREAS, The Republic of Ghana will be hosting a three-day
conference from June 17-19, 2026, in Accra, Ghana to transform political
momentum into a common concrete institutional commitment for reparatory
justice; and

WHEREAS, On March 25, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly
adopted Resolution A/RES/80/250 which was the first resolution in the
UN's 80-year history dedicated exclusively to slavery and the
transatlantic slave trade; and

WHEREAS, The United Nations Resolution declares the trafficking of
enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement as the gravest
crime against humanity, calling for good faith dialogue on reparatory
justice and the prompt restitution of cultural properties; and

WHEREAS, The conference convenes a broad multi-stakeholder dialogue,
bringing together governments, international organizations, diaspora
representatives, legal experts, civil society, and scholars in a unified
call to action; representatives from New York State plan to attend the
conference and the Juneteenth commemorative celebration; and

WHEREAS, Structured around five core objectives, the conference will
focus on collective reflection and dialogue, establishing global
post-adoption framework, generating a comprehensive report document on
the subject matter, establishing three global panels regarding
reparatory justice, and institutionalizing a cross-regional high-level
annual consultative forum; and

WHEREAS, June 19, 1865, is the date the last group of enslaved
Africans were freed in the United States; the conference's third day is
symbolically scheduled on this sacred observance known as Juneteenth,
standing with others in the United States in commemorating the final
emancipation of enslaved African Americans; and

WHEREAS, This monumental occasion marks the first extra-territorial
Juneteenth commemorative celebration outside the United States, taking
place at Christiansborg Castle in Accra, Ghana-a UNESCO World Heritage
site for its role in the European colonial influence in West Africa and
the Atlantic slave trade; and

WHEREAS, It is fitting and proper that this Legislative Body
recognizes and honors those committed individuals and organizations who
work unremittingly seeking justice, renouncing racism, and advancing
human rights for all, thereby fostering and preserving the ideals of
equality, peace, and justice for the world, and for our beloved Empire
State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the Conference on Slavery, the Transatlantic Slave Trade,
and Reparatory Justice, the first extra-territorial Juneteenth
celebration outside the United States, in Accra, Ghana from June 17-19,
2026; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to H.E. John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of
Ghana.