House apologizes for slavery, 'Jim Crow' injustices
 

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a resolution apologizing to African-Americans for slavery and the era of Jim Crow.


The House on Tuesday evening passed a resolution apologizing for slavery and Jim Crow laws.


The nonbinding resolution, which passed on a voice vote, was introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen, a white lawmaker who represents a majority black district in Memphis, Tennessee.

While many states have apologized for slavery, it is the first time a branch of the federal government has done so, an aide to Cohen said.

In passing the resolution, the House also acknowledged the "injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow."

"Jim Crow," or Jim Crow laws, were state and local laws enacted mostly in the Southern and border states of the United States between the 1870s and 1965, when African-Americans were denied the right to vote and other civil liberties and were legally segregated from whites.

The name "Jim Crow" came from a character played by T.D. "Daddy" Rice who portrayed a slave while in blackface during the mid-1800s.

The resolution states that "the vestiges of Jim Crow continue to this day."

"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," the resolution states.

The House also committed itself to stopping "the occurrence of human rights violations in the future."

The resolution does not address the controversial issue of reparations. Some members of the African-American community have called on lawmakers to give cash payments or other financial benefits to descendents of slaves as compensation for the suffering caused by slavery.

It is not the first time lawmakers have apologized to an ethnic group for injustices.

In April, the Senate passed a resolution sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, that apologized to Native Americans for "the many instances of violence, maltreatment and neglect."

In 1993 the Senate also passed a resolution apologizing for the "illegal overthrow" of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1893.

In 1988, Congress passed and President Reagan signed an act apologizing to the 120,000 Japanese-Americans who were held in detention camps during World War II. The 60,000 detainees who were alive at the time each received $20,000 from the government



http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/...ion=cnn_latest

Good. It's the least they could do.

Of course. Now, this may all be sincere or this may all be political pandering. Is it reelection time or something? "If it don't make dollars, it don't make sense."

Great. Now we can put all of that behind us.

yeah ok pallie...if you think that is all it takes...please tell me you were joking.

Not until the remnants of slavery and systemic oppression disappear.

Let us know when that happens.

There's a reason why I didn't post this story on here.

I almost decided not to...but...what they heck....it IS news.

;)

;) Message boards are for messages not just news snippets. I reserve my messages regarding this news for people and places that are ready for such discussions.

so you are saying that greekchat is not ready for such conversation?

It's never been ready. Hence:

RACE WAR 2008
IS ON
AND POPPIN'!!!!!!

praise da Lawd and pass da ammunition!!

I've been saying that about GC for years. ;)

You know it never happens when you announce it!!! :mad:

HMMMMmmm......what keeps you here...there must be something that anchors your soul here....

D'oh!

Me, duh!

I'm 99.99% sure this was written with sarcasm dripping all over it, following up on Chaos' observation that the bill was introduced by a white lawmaker representing a majority minority district just months before re-election. At least that's how I read it.

That's actually accurate. I come back from hiatuses because I like a few of the people who post. :)

Either sarcasm or he literally meant just putting the apology part behind us.

how many can you count on one hand?

Awwwww :D

Senusret, Senusret, Senusret, Senusret, and Senusret.

(Spoken with a Jamaican accent like Dylan the rapper from Making the Band 2)

I rarely like back-to-back questions. I don't like interviews. Find someone else's brain to pick. ;)

So wassup with having a block party to celebrate the House apology!!!! Theme song is Mahalia's How I Got Over:
"Tell me how we got over 'LORD'
I've been falling and rising all these years
But you know my soul look back and wonder
How did I make it over
"

What's scary is that I knew you'd go the Dylan route. :eek:

He is I and I am him. Slim with the tilted brim. What's yo name, fool?!?!?!

Of course.

I think these resolutions are pretty inane. I'm sure it's nice to recognize that bad things happened, and at this point, I don't think there are many folks left who think that Jim Crow, etc. was a good thing, but other than a bunch of mostly white men in suits feeling affirmed that they passed this resolution, nothing happened.

I felt the same way when the Pope apologized for the inquisition and all of the other bad things the Catholic church did in the past. I'm a Catholic if that makes a difference.

Kevin didn't go crazy. *breathing a sigh of relief*

Hmmmm

The House of Representatives would like to th'ow (throw for those that can't understand) the 1st Annual US Apology party

When: TBA
Where: Across the street and to the side of the US Capitol (same spot of the Jena 6 protest...slightly out of sight of the Capitol, but we can still see u out of the windows a lil bit)

Program:

Opening Prayer - Rev. Jesse Jackson

Reading of the Resolution - Rep. Steve Cohen (as observed by Sen. Sheila Lee)

Opening Act - Vanilla Ice

Comedy Relief - Michael Richards

2nd Act - Kanye West

Blessing of the Food (surprise, surprise, there is a dinner! On the menu is: Fried Chicken, collards, chitterlings, catfish, yams, Mashed Potatoes, Rice, Stuffing and Red Kool Aid to wash it down) - Rev. J. Wright (Jeremiah was unavailable!)

Main Act - TBA

To be televised on Fox Networks, please stay tuned for local listings.

My question has been sufficiently answered....I am satisfied.

This will be a fun event.

With a surprise probate show by your favorite Christian sorority!

It fits the Mahalia theme. Church stockings and all.

Dumb it down folks... LOL...

I tried...DSTCHAOS to her name sake smartened it back up...damn.....

Obama remixing A Milli?

Do you know how many heads that floated over?

*raises hand*

But I'm tight with google, so I caught up ok. ;) :D

Give Marion Barry his crackpipe back.

Get it, DC...crack...black mayor...black people...slavery...apology party?!?!!

Aaaaahhhhhh....

Marion Berry wasn't invited by the House because of...well I don't know...they were tight on this but I heard that Kwame Fitzpatrick was scheduled to give the Keynote Address

I'm glad Kwame got his texted invite.

Berry wasn't invited because he smoked crack. The House is only accepting of those who snort powder cocaine. Go powder or go home!

We've got to find the powder!!!
--Chuck D, PE

And you know you cant have a party without a parade...and you know who will lead it, right?

The bros are just looking for another handout.

they get it from ya mama

Thoughts on Cohen from a Memphian
 

This is the first I've heard about the resolution, but I wouldn't write off Cohen because of his timing.

First of all, he's a genuine liberal, but that's not the issue here. If the issue is his timing, he has always tried to represent the city's significant African-American constituency, albeit in unorthodox and controversial ways.

Yes, he is running for reelection against a strong candidate. However, this type of resolution is not out of character for him, election season or not.