After 400 years of slavery and decades of Jim Crow, the United States government is making moves to apologize to African Americans for past injustices.

Rep. Steve Cohen, a white law maker representing a majority black district introduced H.Res. 194 introduced the non binding measure, which will come up for a vote today.

Several states have apologized for slavery, but if Cohen's measure passes, it will be the first time the federal government has acknowledge slavery and Jim Crow and its effects on the black community.

"African-Americans continue to suffer from the consequences of slavery and Jim Crow -- long after both systems were formally abolished -- through enormous damage and loss, both tangible and intangible, including the loss of human dignity and liberty, the frustration of careers and professional lives, and the long-term loss of income and opportunity," H.Res. 194 says.

According to a CNN report, the resolution does not address reparations for blacks, a hotly contested issue in recent years.