“It is an honor,” Pressley began before her voice cracked during the emotional moment, “to inherit the privilege of carrying this forward from Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. In my last correspondence with her, she said keep working on our priorities and never give up.”

Later on during the briefing, Pressley explained: “I got emotional because I’m humbled and because I feel a tremendous amount of responsibility. These are unprecedented and deeply consequential times.”

Jackson Lee was the previous House sponsor of H.R. 40 before she died from cancer in July 2024. Former Rep. John Conyers Jr. first introduced the legislation in 1989, and it has been reintroduced in every Congress since.

The Massachusetts lawmaker called Jackson Lee “a true giant in the movement for reparative justice” for her work championing the reparation legislation, known as the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act, after Conyers died.

The legislation faces no credible path to law as Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and the White House, are unlikely to bring it for a vote, yet Pressley claimed H.R. 40 was a necessity for black people.

“H.R. 40 is a powerful reminder of the work that remains and offers us a pathway toward truth, reconciliation, and accountability,” she said. “To be clear, this bill is not a symbolic gesture but rather a meaningful step toward repairing the deep, structural injustices that continue to harm black communities.

“I’m not afraid of hard fights,” she added. “I’m not deterred by challenging landscapes, because I’ve always believed that the power of the people is greater than the people in power.”

Pressley was joined at the press conference announcing the legislation by former Rep. Erica Lee Carter, the daughter of Jackson Lee, along with Reps. Summer Lee (D-PA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), and Yvette Clark (D-NY), the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) is the chief sponsor in the upper chamber, and the legislation already has more than 70 co-sponsors, Pressley said during the press conference. The content of H.R. 40 is unchanged from when it was last introduced in Congress, the congresswoman also previously said.

“It is my honor to stand here with a warrior for justice, dedicated leader, and prominent legislator, as we pass the torch to the Honorable Ayanna Pressley as she takes up the righteous fight for H.R. 40,” Lee Carter said. “This fight against injustice is personal to her and me.”

In addition to championing Black History Month, the members of Congress made repeated attacks against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk as the White House has rolled back diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the government through executive order and across the broader business and educational communities.

“I’m not here to fix the blame,” Jackson said of the bill. “We didn’t create the history. I’m here to fix the problem. This solves a problem that persists in zoning and taxation and economic development. I’m also a proud co-chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Caucus. We are not going backwards following that of Mr. Donald J. Trump and his administration. We believe diversity is good for all.”

“We have seen efforts to distort our nation’s history and erase black history in our schools, we have seen efforts to strip away the tools of economic opportunity that allow people to get ahead and build generational wealth,” Clarke added. “And in just a few weeks of this administration, we have seen President Trump unleash a tidal wave of executive orders to demonize and roll back diversity policies in the federal government while turning over our federal agencies to a corrupt and unaccountable billionaire.”

Despite rolling back DEI programs, the White House issued a proclamation on Jan. 31 recognizing February 2025 as National Black History Month.

“Every year, National Black History Month is an occasion to celebrate the contributions of so many black American patriots who have indelibly shaped our Nation’s history,” the proclamation reads.