In a season when Black History, social protest, democratic norms and civil rights are being criminalized locally and nationally, Congressman Al Green’s annual event remembering slavery takes on added significance.
On Saturday, Aug. 16, Green will host the 4th Annual Slavery Remembrance Legislative Update Breakfast Meeting at the Wyndham Hotel (8686 Kirby Dr., Houston, TX 77054) at 8:30 a.m.
The Green-coordinated annual event endeavors to ensure that the evils of slavery are never forgotten and never repeated, a mission that has added importance in 2025.
“The 4th Annual Slavery Remembrance Day Legislative Update is more critical than ever because the Trump Administration is leading a racist charge to roll back the rights our ancestors sacrificed blood, sweat and tears to overcome,” said Green. “The Trump Administration has advanced policies that roll back civil rights protections, restrict diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI initiatives), limit voting access and attempt to erase the history of slavery’s role in building America’s wealth.”
Anthony Collier, former director of criminal justice at the National Urban League in New York, agrees.
“We must not take the freedom, liberty and rights we enjoy today for granted because they are not guaranteed tomorrow,” said Collier, who currently works at Houston’s City Hall. “Yesterday, we defeated the proponents of arguably the most brutal, barbaric and inhumane atrocities this world has ever known in the Civil War, but it was not a permanent victory.
“Their mantra, ‘the South shall rise again,’ is manifesting in the modern MAGA movement, and if we are not vigilant, that confederate war cry will prove prophetic.”
Green says the event will honor the enslaved mothers and fathers whose lives were sacrificed for more than 240 years to lay the economic foundation of the U.S. and serve as a reminder of the horrors of slavery and the “generations of invidious discrimination” that followed.
The free-to-the-public event (Eventbrite registration required) seeks to provide attendees with the latest news on where Green’s legislation stands. This bill aims to implement a National Day of Slavery Remembrance annually on Aug. 20.
Green’s resolution was introduced and passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 117th Congress and recognized by President Joe Biden in 2022. However, the legislation has not yet been passed in the U.S. Senate.
Local activist Krista Madzimoyo believes the tenor of the times places added emphasis on the Green-organized event.
“In today’s political climate, where voter suppression, economic apartheid and systemic violence remain entrenched, this event reminds us that the war against Black/Afrikan people has evolved, not ended,” said Madzimoyo. “We must not only remember slavery—we must remember our obligation to resist. If this gathering is not a catalyst for action and unity around common goals, it is performative.”
Green views the Slavery Remembrance event as part of the movement to push back against what many have classified as the anti-Black attacks unleashed by White House Executive Orders and policies. This includes calls from the Trump Administration to Texas Governor Greg Abbott to finagle at least five more Republican congressional districts ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
“In Texas, racially gerrymandered redistricting plans are targeting districts represented by people of color in an effort to dilute minority congressional representation,” said Green, whose Congressional seat will be restructured dramatically in favor of Republican candidates and voters. “We must fight the resurgence of the forces of racism and inequality that America’s enslaved economic foundational mothers and fathers fought to overcome.
“We cannot allow progress to be undone in Texas or anywhere else in our nation. This is why our theme for this year’s event is ‘We’ve Come Too Far to Turn Back Now.’”
