For generations, Black Americans who are the direct descendants of enslaved persons in the United States have lacked a distinct, legally protected federal designation. This lack of specific classification has allowed corporations and unaffiliated individuals to misrepresent our identity for financial gain, exploit our cultural property, and access programs, grants, and scholarships explicitly intended to address the historic disadvantages faced by our lineage. Furthermore, the forced loss of our original ancestral names remains an unaddressed historical injustice.

THE DEMANDS:

We, the undersigned citizens of the United States, call upon the United States Congress to draft, introduce, and pass legislation that enacts the following protections:
Establish a Distinct Federal Designation: Amend federal data standards and the U.S. Census to create a distinct, lineage-based legal category specifically for "Black Americans who are descendants of persons enslaved in the United States," separate from general immigrant or pan-African categories.
Enact the Black American Cultural Protection Act: Establish a federal truth-in-advertising law—modeled after the Indian Arts and Crafts Act—making it a civil offense for individuals or corporations to falsely claim or cosplay Black American lineage to obtain minority-owned business contracts, academic grants, or commercial branding benefits.
Fund a National Ancestral Name Restoration Program: Establish a federally funded grant program to provide pro-bono legal clinics and waive all court, filing, and processing fees for any Black American seeking to legally reclaim and restore their ancestral surnames.