Stacey Plaskett: “The time for dawdling, procrastinating, and pointless disputes has long expired. This body has become consumed with…”

“The time for dawdling, procrastinating, and pointless disputes has long expired. This body has become consumed with self-serving ambition and such a manufactured divide that we have forgotten that this Nation has and must continue to be a global defender of freedom and democracy. Our failure to fulfill this vital role and turn a blind eye to systemic injustices around the world, particularly in the African Continent and the Caribbean region, is not only unethical, but it is un-American. It also has legal ramifications, not just for the people, economy, and stability of those nations, but lethal ramifications for our own safety and national security. The African Continent and the Caribbean region have long suffered from a legacy of slavery and colonialism, symptoms of which have led many of these countries to be volatile and prone to political and economic instability. For example, Haiti had to pay France for its freedom. After winning a revolution, they had imposed on them a debt to the French Government for that freedom, for the lost revenues of slavery, if you can believe that. {time} 1045 They have had to pay literally $28 billion to France. Literally, as my 14 year old would say, literally. Mr. Speaker, 40 percent of the Nation's economy went to debt services. The precarious state of these nations has positioned them to be prime targets for foreign influence. Now U.S.…”