LDF Commends UN’s Recognition of Lasting Devastation of Slave Trade and Support for Reparations

Read a PDF of our statement here.

The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) today joins civil society organizations around the world in commending the United Nations (UN) General Assembly for recognizing the transatlantic slave trade as the "gravest crime against humanity" and signaling support for reparations in a resolution adopted on March 25, 2026. The resolution was proposed by Ghana and comes after the African Union set out last year to build consensus around reparations for slavery.

Janai Nelson, President and Director-Counsel of the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), issued the following statement:

"The UN's resolution marks a long-overdue acknowledgement of the profound physical, social, and economic devastation caused by centuries of racialized chattel slavery. We applaud the 123 countries that voted in favor of the resolution. At the same time, we are deeply concerned by the United States' choice to vote against the resolution.

"Slavery is not just a dark remnant of the past. The legacy of slavery continues to shape economic disparities and myriad other social issues in the United States. These include enduring racial wealth gaps, systemic barriers to economic mobility, and unequal access to housing, education, and financial resources to name a few. We have also failed to fully eradicate all forms of slavery across the world. Indeed, incarcerated people, who are disproportionately Black, are often subject to forced labor in prisons across the country.

"It is clear that higher rates of poverty, lower life expectancies, and a lack of investment in infrastructure in Black communities are all urgent and relevant justifications for reparative solutions. The UN resolution has started a global conversation that gets us one step closer to truly addressing the persistent harm and communal grief borne out of the transatlantic slave trade. It is beyond time for the United States to join the conversation in a meaningful way."

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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation's first civil rights legal organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957, though it was founded under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall while he was at the NAACP. LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI) is a division of LDF that undertakes innovative research and houses LDF's archive. In all media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF (do not include NAACP) and refer to the Institute as LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute or TMI.