House poised to apologize for slavery, Jim Crow

House poised to apologize for slavery, Jim Crow


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


The House is poised to pass a resolution that would apologize for slavery and Jim Crow.

The nonbinding resolution, which is expected to pass, 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 will be first time a branch of the federal government will apologize for slavery if the resolution passes, an aide to Cohen said.

By passing the resolution, the House would also acknowledge 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 would also commit itself to stopping "the occurrence of human rights violations in the future," if it passes the resolution.

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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.

The resolution will not be the first time lawmakers have apologized to an ethnic group for past 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 a law 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

Then while they're at it, they need to apologize for Black Codes and find a way to finally hand out those "acres and a mule" in whatever best way fits in today's life. Talk is cheap.

New World Order (NWO) - Bboy87 - Timmy84 - LittleBlueCorvette - MuthaFunka - phunkdaddy - Christopher: Deal with it, muthafuckas!

Jealousy/Of what are we/Becomes tendency/For their thievery

MuthaFunka said:

Apologize after all the damage has been done....wonderful.

uPtoWnNY said:

Graycap23 said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

Graycap23 said:

I feel better.....don't u?

I feel all warm and fuzzy inside...






























I think I'll go take a Bromo!

uPtoWnNY said:

It'll be interesting to see who opposes this.

ok so let's start a relatively intelligent and respectful debate about this shall we? i remember the last major threads on slavery and Jim Crow and it got pretty heated.

I think it's great that it is happening (if it does happen). Not saying at all that it erases the past but sometimes you got to start somewhere. I also understand peoples' frustration that it's not probably not enough but what is? That's actually a question I'd like answered. I am white and as much as I want and need to understand the argument, sometimes all I hear and see is angry or cynic remarks that don't amount to much of an answer. It's pretty simple I guess: there are a lot of white ppl out there who want to help this situation but a) they don't know how to and/or b) they aren't getting a full answer to the question.

maybe it's a sign that towards Obama's inauguration. who knows.

Graycap23 said:

New World Order (NWO) - Bboy87 - Timmy84 - LittleBlueCorvette - MuthaFunka - phunkdaddy - Christopher: Deal with it, muthafuckas!

Jealousy/Of what are we/Becomes tendency/For their thievery

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

New World Order (NWO) - Bboy87 - Timmy84 - LittleBlueCorvette - MuthaFunka - phunkdaddy - Christopher: Deal with it, muthafuckas!

Jealousy/Of what are we/Becomes tendency/For their thievery

Milty said:

New World Order (NWO) - Bboy87 - Timmy84 - LittleBlueCorvette - MuthaFunka - phunkdaddy - Christopher: Deal with it, muthafuckas!

Jealousy/Of what are we/Becomes tendency/For their thievery

I have a simple solution 4 reparations.

Graycap23 said:

Graycap23 said:

http://prince.org/msg/15/286132
PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Graycap23 said:

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Graycap23 said:

Since Black folk are taxed but under-represented (at least in my opinion) just stop taxing me at the fed and state level period. That's all I ask.....let the money I EARN stay in my pocket.

Can we all be slave descendants?

Graycap23 said:

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Can we all be slave descendants?

When it's convenient?
[Edited 7/29/08 13:20pm]

Graycap23 said:

Graycap23 said:

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Graycap23 said:

When it's convenient?
[Edited 7/29/08 13:20pm]

I think you left your sense of humor outside

XxAxX said:

Graycap23 said:

Since Black folk are taxed but under-represented (at least in my opinion) just stop taxing me at the fed and state level period. That's all I ask.....let the money I EARN stay in my pocket.

as a woman i hear what you're saying. that whole under-representation thing sucks.

your suggested approach would open the door to all kinds of interesting possibilities. for example, people without cars claiming exemption from road tax, people without children claiming exemption from school tax, people with health etc.

Graycap23 said:

XxAxX said:

as a woman i hear what you're saying. that whole under-representation thing sucks.

your suggested approach would open the door to all kinds of interesting possibilities. for example, people without cars claiming exemption from road tax, people without children claiming exemption from school tax, people with health etc.

What was that about taxation without representation?

XxAxX said:

Graycap23 said:

Since Black folk are taxed but under-represented (at least in my opinion) just stop taxing me at the fed and state level period. That's all I ask.....let the money I EARN stay in my pocket.

as a woman i hear what you're saying. that whole under-representation thing sucks.

your suggested approach would open the door to all kinds of interesting possibilities. for example, people without cars claiming exemption from road tax, people without children claiming exemption from school tax, people with health etc.

Graycap23 said:

New World Order (NWO) - Bboy87 - Timmy84 - LittleBlueCorvette - MuthaFunka - phunkdaddy - Christopher: Deal with it, muthafuckas!

Jealousy/Of what are we/Becomes tendency/For their thievery

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Graycap23 said:

Since Black folk are taxed but under-represented (at least in my opinion) just stop taxing me at the fed and state level period. That's all I ask.....let the money I EARN stay in my pocket.

Can we all be slave descendants?

New World Order (NWO) - Bboy87 - Timmy84 - LittleBlueCorvette - MuthaFunka - phunkdaddy - Christopher: Deal with it, muthafuckas!

Jealousy/Of what are we/Becomes tendency/For their thievery

Fuck their apology.

Give the land back.

Dance said:

New World Order (NWO) - Bboy87 - Timmy84 - LittleBlueCorvette - MuthaFunka - phunkdaddy - Christopher: Deal with it, muthafuckas!

Jealousy/Of what are we/Becomes tendency/For their thievery