National Urban League Calls U.S. Vote Against Slavery Resolution "Abdication of Morial Leadership"

NEW YORK (March 25, 2026) — National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in response to the United States' vote against a United Nations resolution on the transatlantic slave trade:

"The United States’ vote against the United Nations resolution designating the transatlantic trafficking and enslavement of Africans as 'the gravest crime against humanity' represents a deeply troubling abdication of moral leadership and historical responsibility.

"When 123 nations stood in solidarity to acknowledge the enduring harm suffered by millions, the U.S. chose instead to oppose a gesture of justice and global healing.

"Introduced by Ghana, a major main gateway for the transatlantic slave trade, the resolution urges the countries historically involved—including the United States—to engage in restorative justice and formal processes of accountability. The United States’ opposition demonstrates just how far many in our country remain from acknowledging not only the historical scale of the transatlantic slave trade but the consequences that remain visible in contemporary racial inequities.

"By standing alongside only two other nations — Israel and Argentina — to oppose this historic measure, the United States placed itself on the wrong side of a global effort to confront one of humanity’s most devastating atrocities and to honor the memory of millions whose lives and futures were stolen. This moment called for courage, humility, and moral clarity. Instead, the U.S. chose obstruction.

"As long as the United States remains unwilling to fully reckon with the truth of its own history, it cannot achieve justice, healing, and reconciliation.

"We condemn this decision and urge the United States to reconsider its stance, to join the global community in affirming the full truth of the transatlantic slave trade, and to support pathways toward reparative justice that honor the victims and address the enduring legacies of slavery."