Two questions keep coming up…..

Should the United States government formally apologize for slavery? 

Should various former slave-holding states formally apologize for the horrendous practice of slavery? 

As of March, 2008 six states have apologized for slavery….Florida, Alabama, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Virginia.

In an article titled Apologizing for Slavery over at Capital Hill Blue, Bartholomew Sullivan reminds us that if the United States government formally apologized for slavery we would be joining other national governments who have apologized for wrong doings such Germany, Australia, and even Great Britain regarding the treatment of the Irish during the Potato Famine.

There are many opinions regarding the apology issue and they don’t clearly fall along racial lines.  Sullivan’s article explores many of the pro and con reasons floating about, and I’ve copied and pasted a few of them here.

Benjamin Hooks, a retired NAACP executive director is on the pro side stating,” Anything we can do as a nation to heal the wounds that were inflicted, why, that's good," Hooks said. "A lot of people are negative about things like this, but I think you have to realize it's a positive step forward. It makes the nation look at the mistakes that were made, and acknowledge they were made, and says we recognize it's not over yet so that whatever we can do to alleviate it ought to be done. 

Fred Lincoln, a retiree outside Memphis, Tenn., who commands the Nathan Bedford Forrest camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, said last week that it doesn't even make sense.

Forrest, a Confederate general, traded in slaves before the war."There are no slaves left and there are no slaveholders, so this is silly," said Lincoln, who noted that his immigrant ancestor named Lincoln arrived in America as an indentured servant."It seems to me like when you apologize for something you didn't do, all you're doing is leaving yourself open for -- I think what they're looking for is reparations...That's what it's all about."

Just last year the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution by voice vote apologizing for slavery and the era of Jim Crow laws.  The nonbinding resolution…was introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen, a white lawmaker who represents a majority black district in Memphis, Tennessee.

Personally I tend to side with folks like Professor Kenneth Goings, chairman of the Department of African-American and African Studies at the Ohio State University.  In Sullivan’s article Goings states he believes an apology is “empty words.” 

When you take a look at the formal apologies that have been made have they really solved anything? 

Is racism suddenly gone? 

Is one hundred plus years of prejudice suddenly wiped out? 

Do people suddenly see themselves on equal footing with everyone else?

I think the answer is no. 

The only apology types that can change the emotional impact slavery and subsequent events resulted in are the apologies between the parties that were directly involved.  Sadly, the time is long past for many of those people to make amends, but we still have among us citizens who fought for Civil Rights and many of the citizens who served as stumbling blocks to racial progress in this nation today, and many have changed since those violent and horrific days of “separate but equal”.

If I had a choice I would much rather use as a teaching tool an honest change in a human life and a heart-felt apology instead of having students look at and analyze some wordy legalese effort to make amends written and voted on by many people who weren’t there, didn’t take part, and are merely using the occasion to obtain brownie points with some sector of their constituencies. 

As of Friday I have one such example I can use, and it is a true example to show students how ugly the actions towards Blacks could be leading up to and during the Civil Rights era and how men can change and learn how to do the right thing albeit over several decades. 

Case in point……Elwin Wilson of Rock Hill, South Carolina.  Mr. Wilson admits to being a member of the KKK back in the 60s and has has stated, “I was angry.  I thought blacks were trying to know more than us; be higher than us.”

In this Chicago Tribune article Mr. Willson explains, “We used to catch blacks late at night; we’d catch them walking down the sidewalks and throw cantaloupes at them,” he said.  “Or, we’d get out the car and beat them and it wouldn’t be four or five jumping on one.  We’d make it one on one and others would watch.”  Wilson said he and his friends made a sport out of it.

Friday morning I witnessed a very strong moment for us all regarding a true apology…a meaningful apology….an apology that is not mere empty words, but one that can inspire others to change… perhaps.

Good Morning America featured a segment regarding Mr. Wilson and his meeting with Rep.  John Lewis (D-Ga.).  Mr. Lewis represents my own state, and he and I differ on many political issues, however, he is one of the “REAL DEALS” concerning the Civil Rights era.  He still harbors scars from his days of fighting with determination not violence for his rights and the rights of every African American citizen of this nation. 

 Lewis was one of the original 13 Freedom Riders and was involved in a stop in Rock Hill, South Carolina.  Previously, students from Friendship Junior College….nine black men….attempted to sit at an all white lunch counter in the local McCrory’s.  These men became known as the Friendship Nine and received 30 days on the chain gang because they wanted service where whites were only allowed.  Some of the black women involved in the protest became known as the City Girls and all of them have been honored for their sacrifice in the cause for true freedom. 

Less than four months after the arrests, the Freedom Riders began their rides through the South.  Among their first stops was Rock Hill.  “I think we are why they came,” [James Frank Wells, one of the Friendship Nine ] says.  “Otherwise, they would have paid more attention to Charlotte.  Why go to little Rock Hill?”

Much happened when the Freedom Riders arrived…on May 9, 1961.  John Lewis and Albert Bigelow, two of the Riders, were beaten when the bus arrived at the Greyhound terminal.  It was the first time the Riders had encountered violence since they left Washington, D.C., five days earlier.  But it would hardly be the last.

Elwin Wilson was part of that mob that “welcomed” Rep. Lewis and Albert Bigelow to Rock Hill and following a few decades of life and reflection and upon watching the recent historical presidential election Mr. Wilson knew he had to make amends by making a personal apology.

I urge you to follow the link  here  for the Good Morning America story… including some video as well …Mr. Wilson’s actions speak more to the hearts and minds of students than any formal resolution ever could.

Apparently Mr. Wilson’s change of heart has prompted other efforts at reconciliation as noted at this article at The State newspaper site.