Slavery Apology Bill
Update: (5:52 p.m.) The House has passed both the House and Senate versions of the slavery apology bill. The vote was 117-0.
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The debate on the slavery apology resolution in the House is still going on as of 5 p.m. (It started about 90 minutes ago.)
Here are some quotes from the speeches so far:
- "The past is never dead and in order to learn from history, you must acknowledge it and accept it, no matter how ugly it may be." - Rep. Alma Adams, Guilford County.
- "Those actions and those policies that we make on behalf of the people of North Carolina should be consistent with the resolution we’re about to pass and the apology we’re about to make." - Rep. Alma Adams, Guilford County.
- "This is no personal indictment, this is not individual indictment. But it is an indictment against the state of North Carolina and the government that existed at the time." - Rep. Larry Womble, Forsyth County.
- "Today I offer my apologies for these injustices and hope the rest of you will joint me in expressing my deep regret in taking this small but symbolic step." - Rep. Hugh Holliman, Davidson County.
- "The story is sad, is horrible, and I’m not as sanguine as my friend Rep. Glaizer that all this is going to be fixed." - Rep. Paul Luebke, Durham County.
- "Mr. Speaker, I hadn't planned to say anything on this resolution. I don't have to atone for anything. Some of y’all have to . . . . I'm still waiting for my forty acres and a mule. I’ll take 40 acres and a Lexus right now." - Rep. Henry "Mickey" Michaux Jr., Durham County
- "As many of you know, I am a fiscal conservative. When I was a student at Elon College, one of my professors called me a 'white Stokely Carmichael.'" - Rep. Cary Allred, Alamance County.
- "Just as Robert E. Lee said, slavery is an abomination, it's the worst evil ever created by mankind." - Rep. Cary Allred, Alamance County.
- "On behalf of the state of North Carolina, I accept your apology." - Rep. Jean Farmer-Butterfield, Edgecombe and Wilson Counties
- "If you look at the word atone, it means at one. And in order to be at one, you have to atone." - Rep. Jennifer Weiss
Comments (3)
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The Duke University rape case and the sterilization of african-american women in this state also deserve an apology in this modern day post slavery era. The lingering attitudes from the slavery/antebellum era led to these occurences. And these atrocities are still occuring and continuing to affect us politically, socially and economically even today roght up to this moment.
Posted on April 11, 2007 9:00 PM
This is nothing more than revisionist history viewed from a white guilt perspective. It will do nothing to better race relations. They will only improve when the NAACP finally admits everything is not the fault of white people. They must address their own failures.
Posted on April 11, 2007 10:40 PM
Was slavery a terrible thing? Of course and only a idot would think not. Should we learn form others past mistakes? A truely wise person would but does it take 200+ years.It's time to let it go and focus on the now.When something is beaten into the ground then people get tired and don't want to do anything.Because they feel it's become an excuse and not the reason.And why should we pay for the past sins that we had no say in at that time? Is it for an injustice or is it for revenge on the white man.Is that a justifiable motive? If a person has a sore and they keep picking at it does it heal or stay infected?
Posted on April 12, 2007 12:40 PM