Virginia apologizes for role in slavery (AP)

[sampsonblk]

Virginia apologizes for role in slavery

By LARRY O'DELL, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 2 minutes ago

RICHMOND, Va. - Meeting on the grounds of the former Confederate Capitol, the Virginia General Assembly voted unanimously Saturday to express "profound regret" for the state's role in slavery...

The resolution says government-sanctioned slavery "ranks as the most horrendous of all depredations of human rights and violations of our founding ideals in our nation's history, and the abolition of slavery was followed by systematic discrimination, enforced segregation, and other insidious institutions and practices toward Americans of African descent that were rooted in racism, racial bias, and racial misunderstanding."...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070225/ap_on_re_us/slavery_apology

[no_hypocrisy]

1. It took 30 years after VA Legislature finally apologized for sterilizing

its citizens against their will by using government power over their bodies for the purpose of creating a better race -- and lying about it in many cases -- for the same government body to take responsibility and accountability for the acts of its residents who exercised the most extreme cruelty over people who were kidnapped, robbed of their families, identities, heritage, their children, their lives, their dignity. As much there's a part of me saying "better late than never", another part rhetorically asks if one can ever understand what one day in a slave's life was like, the absence of a future, etc. And no, just because an apology was issued, things aren't "all right" and we can "get past this". It's a first step towards taking responsibility. February is only 28 days. This historic tragedy is inherent 365 days and is humbling.

[Captain Hilts]

2. I worked for below min wage for my University in VA. I'm glad they're sorry. nt

[rug]

3. After 400 years more than an apology is in order.

[marmar]

4. I bet Virgil Goode won't like that....

:think: