I suppose it is better than not apologizing in the long run. I wonder how many folks are going to be surprised that an apology wasn't issued like say 145 years ago.

I hope it has an impact. I think this is a nice step, a generous gesture. I agree with not giving financial reparations. I hope that once a formal apology is made that we as a country can move on from this and not look back anymore. (look back as far as history and learning, yes), but to stop using slavery as an excuse for why people aren't successful today. And perhaps it will aid in the continued conquering of racism.

I don’t think slavery is to blame for people being unsuccessful and I have never heard that before in those terms; however, I have heard how learned behaviors from slavery have been instituted into the black culture (i.e. family structure, self esteem, education etc) and there are many studies one can read on regarding this. I think this is a great start to except our history and move on. Maybe it will make things better in the long run, no one really knows, all we know is that with time things change for the better or the worse and that’s all hope that it will change for the better.

Apologize? This happened over 100 years ago. Anyone who was alive during those times are no longer living. Are you going to apologize to people who haven't been personally affected? If you apologize to those who are related to a former slave, but never actually knew them, that is just as stupid. I appreciate the sentiment, but it would have been better to apologize to those affected by slavery, and not those who just happen to be of a race that was enslaved or happen to be distantly related to someone who was a slave.

um, chrstne and others.. just because we weren't alive for slavery does not mean that it doesn't affect us. the discriminatory aftermath continued up until the 1960s. so yes. there are people out there who have been affected by slavery or the direct aftermath of it, and are still alive today.

it's silly for you to think that ONLY the actual slaves should be apologized to because they were the ones who experienced it. the aftermath of slavery shaped our whole social infrastructure and led to beliefs and stereotypes still held on to today.

this should sum everything up nicely.
http://www.leftycartoons.com/wp-content/uploads/concise.png

Just ignorant. I guess it will help if I go wash my face and put on my rose colored glasses. My memory of my families suffering from the RULES made to exclude us will go away as well. We have inherited this pain for over 100 years. Good try!!!

I understand the apology its symbolic and I agree to not giving out reparations, they arent needed in this case.

Appolgurl, I agree with you. It's no wonder why the U.S. educational system is tarnished. Look at the results! Educated, much? Nope.

The system of slavery ended; however, institutionalized racism and segregation as a result of it still continues. You'd have to be imbecilic not to know that.

The words are a start; however, disrupt the system that keeps the legacy going strong.

To Christine and others that share the same illogical mindset:

Do you share the same sentiment toward the descendants of Japanese internment camps and Holocaust survivors? Or, is it a case-by-case thing, because well, they're not black?

Go Honey!! It's just Us...

I agree that slavery was an institution and the brutality that happened after slavery left severe emotional, mental, and physical effects that had lasting effects. I guess most people feel it was over and that should have been the end of it. Maybe the blacks didn't rise above their station and situation likes other did. I wonder why, does others?

institutionalized racism and segregation as a result of it still continues.

Curious as to where this is happening.

It's hard to dance backwards...Now do it with shackles on your ankles.

I agree that slavery was terrible. It should not have happened, but at least a lot of slaves really did live a good life compared to what they had. People only see some horror stories in movies and books, but rarely get a peak at how much better the conditions were for them. I'm not saying that slavery was right, but we were just doing what we thought was "right" at the time. And no one alive today had any part of it.

Slavery did put blacks in a submissive position, it's true. But there are many people who thought of blacks as equals and made it known. Especially in the northern states. Yes, they were oppressed. Yes, it is terrible. But in this day and age, the only person who is NOT being oppressed are the white males.

You know, there still are racist people out there. It's not because of slavery, though. It's because people are taught foolish and ridiculous things. Because they watch too much "Cops" and don't like how some people behave. There are people who hate everyone. Blacks hate whites, whites hate blacks, and every race in between hates each other in some cases.

And seriously, like I said, when it comes to discrimination, it existed, but so did acceptance. All the time. Certain people discriminate, certain people accept. It was no different in the 60's than it was when we had slavery. Not everyone was an evil slave owner, or an evil person who hated black people.

I don't think I am uneducated or foolish for having an opinion. I make no apologies.

Bella and CaterpillarGirl, are you new to the U.S. or something? You honestly don't know where institutionalized racism/segregation exist? No wonder this country is a joke globally.

"Maybe the blacks didn't rise above their station and situation likes other did. I wonder why, does others?"

first of all spell check. second,

you've GOT to be kidding me, right? i can't think of another case of people who were so held down by their skin color for more than a hundred years after slavery happened. jim crow laws, harmful stereotypes and discriminatory practices in the housing and educational system.

we've gone above and beyond what was expected of us in such a short amount of time. only 50 years later and we have a black president.

Actually Honey, I am not new to the US and maybe you misunderstood my second statement.

I just thing apologizing is a little too late. The people who needed the apology are dead. Discrimination still exists, and not just directed towards blacks. It's everyone who is not a white male. They won't issue apologies for making women second class citizens, and several other issues. If there is an apology, it will not be heartfelt, because there will be nothing done to change their actions.

I wish those who were slaves were given apologies. I really wish that. But saying sorry for discrimination is BS, because there will always be discrimination, and apologies do not mean sh*t. I find it insulting, as a matter of fact, that they think of this 145 years too damn late.

If they want to apologize for disrimination, apologize to everyone who is discriminated against. If you want to apologize because of slavery, they are dead. And even if they were alive, I doubt sorry would cut it.

Thanks Appol for answering, I was actually hoping others who disagreed would answer the question.

Christine, keeping digging your hole. You obviously don't realize how deep you are in it. You are a textbook case of racist thought. Everything you've stated has been foolishly said before only to be proven wrong. You speak in past tense as though everything is over.

You are uneducated and foolish, which you should feel sorry for as there's no excuse. You have the power to change it.

The only way I got my last promotion is because I have a degree...for a clerical position!

Bella, I didn't misunderstand your second statement. Rather, it's annoying to reiterate information that is available everywhere. That's all. In this day and age, you can't plea ignorance when there's a gluttony of information out there. Appol was a little less annoyed.

Thanks Honey but you did misinterpret what I meant, I see that that you are angry and therefore lashing, you can take the meaning however you want to take it. My response was not for your comment or Appol, so you can feel free to take it how you want to.

Clerical position: (thank God your @SS got a job!!)

GK, Happy Juneteenth. Very appropriate, don't you think?

I am not racist at all. I am not uneducated. We have different viewpoints, and I see no problem with it. I see your side. I understand what you are getting at and what you are trying to say, but I think a little differently. I do respect your opinion, and it makes no sense to dish out insults over something so petty. You can't prove your point any more by calling me foolish and uneducated.

This one goes out to the State of Texas...A year late, but you @SS is FREE!!!

I agree with Chrstne for the most part. I think you're twisting her words.

Like she said, everyone knows discrimination and racism still exist, so I don't see how an apology for slavery helps anything.

Wouldn't it be better if they said, hey, look, here's this big problem that still exists today because some people were a-holes way back when, and here's how we're going to fix it.

I agree 100% with Chrstne. The apology is unnecessary and will not help anyone. It will not stop or decrease the discrimination that black people face.

I'm not angry nor am I lashing out. Thanks, Miss Ann, for telling me how to accept the statement. I am annoyed, though that you have questions that can gain answers by attaining the appropriate information that's out there.

Christine, you doth protest too much. Your statements prove otherwise. That's not my burden to correct. If you honestly cannot see where your privilege is, you can't grow.

I love how "these people" always have to speak up for "others".

"If you honestly cannot see where your privilege is, you can't grow. "

So Chrstne is white and therefore "privileged". What is she supposed to do about it?

Okay, I've sipped my morning tea. Let's discuss this differently.

The apology to many would mean something. To say it wouldn't mean anything to anyone is asinine. The apologies to others meant something to their descendants; so, why should this group not get the same? (This question is still evaded by some of the posters). No, it won't stop discrimination. But, it will be a long overdo symbolic gesture.

Honey, and you are being condescending which isnt good for healthy debate.

Chouette4u, why do you need me to answer that question for you?

Caterpillar, really? Condescending? You stated that you are curious as to where institutionalized racism and segregation still exists. Was that a snarky comment or just not knowing?

If it's the former, the tone was well-deserved. If it's the latter, it's an unfortunate aftermath of not hearing each other as we type.

"Chouette4u, why do you need me to answer that question for you? "

Because you implied that white people need to realize that they are all "privileged" and then need to "grow". I am asking you what kind of growth you are expecting and to what ends.

I'm so glad you guys have agreed amongst yourselves that an apology is superfluous. How rich!

Honey, we get (and I get) what you are trying to say. All I am saying is that the apologies will have done more for your ancestors then it will do for you. Yes, it's symbolic, and yes, it's nice, but the people who needed to hear the apologies are not alive today. Apologizing for slavery to people who have not experienced slavery, or even knew the people who were enslaved is not going to do much. I can imagine that it may mean something in the sense that you feel like through you, your ancestors are being apologized too, or maybe even that since a part of them is in you, then you can feel better knowing that someone has apologized for what they had to endure. I'm sure it's terrible to have someone in your family that was a slave. It's not very glamorous, and it goes to show you that we can't forget about things like that.

So yes, I know it will mean something. But I do stand by the fact that it's too damn late. This should have been done a long time ago. It's a nice gesture, but I have a feeling that "I'm sorry your ancestors were slaves, we f*cked up" is not going to make anyone feel better. You can't issue a real apology in that way, IMO.

I guess it's always the job of the minority to educate the majority on how to respect and treat people as human beings as they can't do it on their own.

Here's a few blogs to get you started.

stuffwhitepeopledo.blogspot.com
allaboutrace.com
everydaywhitness.wordpress.com
http://www.redroom.com/author/tim-wise

I don't see why apologizing for one of our country's most shameful legacies could ever be construed as a bad thing. No, it doesn't erase the horror of slaveryy and no, it doesn't fix the very real institutionalized racism that exists today — but it's a good symbolic step.

It's interesting, btw... when I travel outside of the country, or when I talk with foreigners here, many people say that they view the US as a segregated place. That's not to say that other countries don't have their own issues with race and ethnicity, obviously, but it's interesting to see an outsider's perspective. I think this apology, even if it is merely symbolic, is a step in the right direction.

So, if it's symbolic, Christine, why does it bother you? Yes, we know that the slaves aren't here to actually hear the apology; but, why does it bother you that the country does so? That's the heart of he issue. You seem perturbed by it. Let the symbolism occur. It won't hurt anyone.

The gesture itself does not bother me. It bothers me that it's 145 years too late. I mean, it's taken 145 years to apologize? There is something seriously wrong with that. So, it doesn't bother me that they issue an apology, but it does bother me that they are doing it so late.

I am impressed, though. It seems like we are trying to redeem ourselves in the eyes of our citizens and in the eyes of other countries.

On an interesting note, here is a letter a former slave wrote to his ex-master in 1865. I read it yesterday.

http://is.gd/153uf

here

We are going to go in the SAME damn circles on this issue of apologizing for slavery and reparations. Everyone is coming from diametrically opposed mindsets, rooted in their histories and experience. It is pointless to argue about it. Only inform, and let others do with that information what they will. That is all anyone can do. The issue is much deeper than I think many realize, and has many facets. We could spend our entire lifetimes studying and talking about it [as many have].

My POV: I'm glad everyone agrees slavery existed [there are still people who deny this, similar to people who deny the Holocaust]. What I think is missing is the understanding of how the system that was established during slavery was and still is enforced. Systematic oppression did not end when slavery did, so NONE of us can "be over and done" with it. It did not end with the Civil Rights Act, where people were deemed equal legally and on paper but not in reality.

And I personally am throughly sick of the notion perpetuated that "black people didn't work hard enough/self-pity/blame their color on their current state" which is so far from the truth. It's a Eurocentric view of perfectly equal opportunity and individual work - for some, it's simply not conceivable or believable that anything else other than "you didn't work hard enough/weren't the best" would be the reason for the general state of blacks in america. Ironically, that same Eurocentricity coupled with white supremacy [read the SUPREMACY part, please - for someone to be considered "better", they must believe and make everyone else believe that anything else is bad] is what fueled the horrendous treatment of African slaves in the US to begin with.

As for this particular apology: While it's nice that there is an official apology rendered to the descendants, it doesn't mean much without any action to make amends. Proving equal opportunity in education would be a major step forward - equal opportunities in schooling from the beginning will help close the widening gap later on in life. While reparations would be totally ridiculous, particularly in this modern age [it would have made sense if directly after slavery the 40 acres and a mule promise had been fulfilled, similar to how the Japanese Americans that were incarcerated during WWII were compensated after the fact - for blacks it is simply too late; there's no way to trace who is a full descendant, whether or not those who are biracial should receive an amount, who is paying for it, etc].
It's hard to battle discrimination, though, you can't really change people's mindsets and stereotypes.

Anyway, Happy Juneteenth, everyone! [I'm in Texas, where it's an officially recognized holiday.]

Honey my question was an honest one, without snark, but because you took it as snarky just shows that your defenses are up and you are looking for a fight.

Good Lord I missed all the fun. LOL

"It bothers me that it's 145 years too late. I mean, it's taken 145 years to apologize? There is something seriously wrong with that. "

Yea, Chrstne, it bothers me too. I agree. BUT when you are in a nation where racism and discrimination against a minority is so ingrained, it will take a while for those in charge to admit that they were responsible, much less apologize for it. Look how long it took after slavery ended for Blacks to be able to vote, and without a *literacy test*! Civil Rights Act didn't happen until 1964, ONE HUNDRED YEARS after the Emancipation Proclamation. Heck, even today we celebrate Juneteenth, when slaves in South were finally informed that they were actually FREE people...and HAD BEEN FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS. Even then, the freed slaves didn't have any property or money to call their own...they had to stay and work on their master's land, or were simply kicked to the curb with no way to make a living. Some said that the slaves should have been happy that they were letting them live, much less treating them as humans...so yeah. Of course it's long overdue...but it's a step in the right direction. Maybe now some real dialogue can start to actually move to RIGHT the wrongs.

I just read on the resolution... it not only apologizes for slavery but the Jim Crow laws that ensued and supposedly ended in 1965. Many of us know that the legacy of the Jim Crow laws still follow us today. So this is not just an apology to our dead ancestors. It is still relevant.

Wow, I didn't know that Texas recognizes Juneteenth as an official holiday. That's cool.

Chouette4u,
Because white people don't have to view themselves as a "race" or as a group that is other.

You should look up a White Studies course.