unapologetically, the first thing that comes to mind when i hear reparations is the word ‘tron‘. dave chappelle is a got damn fool, and that is no lie.
question is, how sincere are actions by forms of government when acknowledgments of slavery get their day in court? yahoo news is reporting that virginia, the site where the first africans landed almost 400 years ago, is the first state to pass legislation apologizing for slavery.
my first reaction was to be cynical. how in the hell do you apologize for slavery? how do you encompass whip scars, rape, theft, murder, mutilation, lynching, bigotry, and hatred in a modern government discussion point? even more, what am i, the new black man, supposed to do with an apology?
and then it hit me. the privilege i bask in today is a direct representation of progress. i have been blessed to have lived during february 25th, 2007 to actually get on the internet and read such a story. how dare i try to take a personal expectation of ‘what can an apology do for me’ and somehow undermine the sacrifice of my ancestors. in effect, the mere reality of 2007 allowing me to be cynical when my great, great, great grandmother broke her back for me is like the spoiled white kid who yells at his mom for not getting him the blue power ranger after he just got a new bike for christmas. i’m pretty sure such an acknowledgment during 1900 would have meant something.
we should never forget. we should never become complacent.
although history tells its own story, i for one am inspired by such legislation. it may not pass a law, put money in my pocket, but it is a historical moment that sets precedence. hopefully it will continue to spark dialogue and transform many ignorant minds.
an excerpt:
“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.’”
Kimberly Michelle
I agree and feel that we have become so cynical, militant, and spoiled that at this point, we act like we don’t even care anymore about Black History Month. I resist commenting on immature facebook notes and comments about how people “didn’t even realize it was Black History Month and didn’t even miss it,” but I can stay quiet no more. I guess some people are so content with the their status quo today that they can no longer appreciate what so many people have sacrificed for them to be where they are today. How selfish to no longer celebrate all of the many “firsts” African Americans have achieved in this country. And just because we celebrate firsts and major African American players in history does not mean that we cannot help the current situations in Darfur and New Orleans. We can celebrate and progress at the same time. We have much more ground to cover, but we can still look back and be proud.
We complain about wanting reparations, and then complain that an apology isn’t enough. We complain that Black History Month is only about trivia, and then look stupid when we don’t even know the answers ourselves. We want change, but do nothing but complain. Well, if you want change, then what are YOU going to do about it.
February 25, 2007 at 9:26 am
Julia Dudley Najieb
Please support our movie “Stars too High†which dramatically explores reparations and advocates how to cherish the black heritage and let the past go for a better future. Thank you.
Julia Dudley Najieb
March 9, 2007 at 1:47 am
YBP Guide — paris, texas. in plain view
[...] its 2007, one state is drafting formal legislation to apologize for slavery, and another is trying to flex its ‘dont mess with texas’ ego. while i complained [...]
March 13, 2007 at 6:17 am
YBP Guide — ‘Door of No Return’ in Ghana open to tourists
[...] some say they should pay the descendants of slavery’s victims. We are already seeing slavery apologies in the U.S.- first Virginia and a skeptical Georgia is next to issue a resolution apologizing for [...]
March 20, 2007 at 8:50 am
T.Brown
I believe that it’s time for a change or this country will be on it’s way to the end. We need to start helping people, loving our children and educated everyone. If we keep locking up people rather than trying to free their minds, the end is near.
March 29, 2007 at 10:12 pm
My romantic lady
I was touched to the point of tears when I read Virginia’s pending apology. I never thought that I would see any of this in writing. I am often been told that it was our forefathers that captured and used slaves, why do you people want to blame us! It is mind boggling to me that no one other than minorities seem to understand the devastation and long term effects of slavery. It will take probably another hundred years to get rid of the effects that slavery has had on Black people even if racial equality were achieved today. Thank you to who ever wrote the apology because it was really a touching thing to do and even more touching for me, a Black person, to see!
April 30, 2007 at 4:39 pm