Apology Accepted?
Wednesday, 30 July 2008-WashingtonDC
""""Congressman Cohen's Slavery Apology Resolution Passes the House of Representatives
"This evening, the House of Representatives passed by voice vote H.Res.194, apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African-Americans. Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) introduced the resolution on February 22, 2007. This is the first time that the federal government has ever formally apologized for slavery or racial segregation in United States history.
Congressman Cohen issued the following statement after the passage of the bill:
I am very proud that my colleagues in the House of Representatives passed our resolution apologizing for slavery and Jim Crow in the United States. This is a historic moment in the ongoing struggle for civil rights in this country, and I hope that this legislation can serve to open the dialogue on race and equality for all. Apologies are not empty gestures, but are a necessary first step towards any sort of reconciliation between people. I thank Congressman John Conyers (MI-14), whose assistance in moving this resolution forward was indispensible, for his strong support for this bill.
Congressman Cohen spoke in support of the resolution earlier today on the House floor, and his speech can be viewed at http://cohen.house.gov. An unofficial transcript of the speech follows.""""
Source-All Things Considered-Thursday, June 18, 2009
Senate Apologizes For Slavery
"""The U.S. Senate apologized Thursday for slavery and for the segregationist Jim Crow laws, 144 years after the Civil War and 45 years after passing the Civil Rights Act. The action came in a nonbinding resolution adopted unanimously by voice vote.
The Senate chamber was nearly empty as Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin rose to call for a measure that he said was long overdue for the descendants of 4 million blacks who were enslaved in the U.S.
"A national apology by the representative body of the people is a necessary collective response to a past collective injustice," Harkin said. "So, it is both appropriate and imperative that Congress fulfill its moral obligation and officially apologize for slavery and Jim Crow laws."
The resolution states the congressional apology is made to African-Americans on behalf of the people of the United States for "the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors." That is followed, however, by a disclaimer that says nothing in the resolution authorizes any claim against the United States.
Kansas Republican Sam Brownback, who co-sponsored the measure, says that disclaimer was necessary to win the support of senators who feared the apology could be used by African-Americans seeking reparations.
"It was a difficult negotiation," he says. "We had to get the reparation issue right." Last year, the House passed a similar resolution, but without the reparations disclaimer. New York Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, says he isn't sure he supports the Senate's reparations disclaimer.
"If it ... can be construed to mean that ... it rules out reparations, then that's a problem," Meeks says. Tennessee Democrat Steve Cohen, who sponsored last year's House resolution, says he hopes the House passes the Senate's apology soon, but he wants it done by voice vote.
"This should be a congenial, kumbaya moment," he says. "A roll call could expose some fissures in what should be a cohesive spirit of apology and rectitude and more perfect union." """""
""""Congressman Cohen's Slavery Apology Resolution Passes the House of Representatives
"This evening, the House of Representatives passed by voice vote H.Res.194, apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African-Americans. Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) introduced the resolution on February 22, 2007. This is the first time that the federal government has ever formally apologized for slavery or racial segregation in United States history.
Congressman Cohen issued the following statement after the passage of the bill:
I am very proud that my colleagues in the House of Representatives passed our resolution apologizing for slavery and Jim Crow in the United States. This is a historic moment in the ongoing struggle for civil rights in this country, and I hope that this legislation can serve to open the dialogue on race and equality for all. Apologies are not empty gestures, but are a necessary first step towards any sort of reconciliation between people. I thank Congressman John Conyers (MI-14), whose assistance in moving this resolution forward was indispensible, for his strong support for this bill.
Congressman Cohen spoke in support of the resolution earlier today on the House floor, and his speech can be viewed at http://cohen.house.gov. An unofficial transcript of the speech follows.""""
Source-All Things Considered-Thursday, June 18, 2009
Senate Apologizes For Slavery
"""The U.S. Senate apologized Thursday for slavery and for the segregationist Jim Crow laws, 144 years after the Civil War and 45 years after passing the Civil Rights Act. The action came in a nonbinding resolution adopted unanimously by voice vote.
The Senate chamber was nearly empty as Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin rose to call for a measure that he said was long overdue for the descendants of 4 million blacks who were enslaved in the U.S.
"A national apology by the representative body of the people is a necessary collective response to a past collective injustice," Harkin said. "So, it is both appropriate and imperative that Congress fulfill its moral obligation and officially apologize for slavery and Jim Crow laws."
The resolution states the congressional apology is made to African-Americans on behalf of the people of the United States for "the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors." That is followed, however, by a disclaimer that says nothing in the resolution authorizes any claim against the United States.
Kansas Republican Sam Brownback, who co-sponsored the measure, says that disclaimer was necessary to win the support of senators who feared the apology could be used by African-Americans seeking reparations.
"It was a difficult negotiation," he says. "We had to get the reparation issue right." Last year, the House passed a similar resolution, but without the reparations disclaimer. New York Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, says he isn't sure he supports the Senate's reparations disclaimer.
"If it ... can be construed to mean that ... it rules out reparations, then that's a problem," Meeks says. Tennessee Democrat Steve Cohen, who sponsored last year's House resolution, says he hopes the House passes the Senate's apology soon, but he wants it done by voice vote.
"This should be a congenial, kumbaya moment," he says. "A roll call could expose some fissures in what should be a cohesive spirit of apology and rectitude and more perfect union." """""
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by MzLynn on -
This is the first time the federal government has agreed slavery and jim crow laws existed and were wrong. There was never a federal mandate for or against slavery (until the 13th amendment to end involuntary slavery) nor jim crow laws; they were just a general concensus.
Isn't it ironic this comes on Juneteeth? The celebration recognizing the signing of the emancipation (13th amendment) delivered to slaves in the south: June 19, 1865, almost 3 years after the emancipation had become law: September 1862.
Accepted on not, where should WE go from here?
Hypothetically Speaking, if the CHOICES given were: ASSIMILATION into the place of OUR birth OR REPARATIONS to take TO AFRICA to invest in the place of OUR origins? Which would you choose, HYPOTHETICALLY, SPEAKING?
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Permalink Reply by MzLynn on
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I believe all the abuse and rejection we have experienced as a black persons living in america; our homeland, by people who don't look like me-I can take it from people who do.
If I'm not avoiding or holding resentment toward the ones who continue to try to enslave me here, surely I can put Africa's past actions toward me behind me. I understand how easily someone can be tricked into believing a lie. I do believe they expected us to be returned per contract. I think they thought we decided to stay. I'll give it a chance. Better than the alternative: staying here doing the same thing, getting the same results-insanity.
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Permalink Reply by kevin black on -
REPARATIONS TO AFRICA/INVEST IN OUR PLACE OF ORIGIN........
MzLynn said:This is the first time the federal government has agreed slavery and jim crow laws existed and were wrong. There was never a federal mandate for or against slavery (until the 13th amendment to end involuntary slavery) nor jim crow laws; they were just a general concensus.
Isn't it ironic this comes on Juneteeth? The celebration recognizing the signing of the emancipation (13th amendment) delivered to slaves in the south: June 19, 1865, almost 3 years after the emancipation had become law: September 1862.
Accepted on not, where should WE go from here?
Hypothetically Speaking, if the CHOICES given were: ASSIMILATION into the place of OUR birth OR REPARATIONS to take TO AFRICA to invest in the place of OUR origins? Which would you choose, HYPOTHETICALLY, SPEAKING?
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