House formally apologizes for slavery and Jim Crow

House formally apologizes for slavery and Jim Crow

By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press WriterTue Jul 29, 7:05 PM ET

The House on Tuesday issued an unprecedented apology to black
Americans for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who
suffered under slavery and Jim Crow segregation laws.
"Today represents a milestone in our nation's efforts to remedy the
ills of our past," said Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich.,
chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus.
The resolution, passed by voice vote, was the work of Tennessee
Democrat Steve Cohen, the only white lawmaker to represent a majority
black district. Cohen faces a formidable black challenger in a primary
face-off next week.
Congress has issued apologies before — to Japanese-Americans for
their internment during World War II and to native Hawaiians for the
overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom in 1893. In 2005, the Senate
apologized for failing to pass anti-lynching laws.
Five states have issued apologies for slavery, but past proposals in
Congress have stalled, partly over concerns that an apology would lead
to demands for reparations — payment for damages.
The Cohen resolution does not mention reparations. It does commit
the House to rectifying "the lingering consequences of the misdeeds
committed against African-Americans under slavery and Jim Crow."
It says that Africans forced into slavery "were brutalized,
humiliated, dehumanized and subjected to the indignity of being
stripped of their names and heritage" and that black Americans today
continue to suffer from the consequences of slavery and Jim Crow laws
that fostered discrimination and segregation.
The House "apologizes to African-Americans on behalf of the people
of the United States, for the wrongs committed against them and their
ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow."
"Slavery and Jim Crow are stains upon what is the greatest nation on
the face of the earth," Cohen said. Part of forming a more perfect
union, he said, "is such a resolution as we have before us today where
we face up to our mistakes and apologize as anyone should apologize for
things that were done in the past that were wrong."
Cohen became the first white to represent the 60 percent black
district in Memphis in more than three decades when he captured a 2006
primary where a dozen black candidates split the vote. He has sought to
reach out to his black constituents, and early in his term showed
interest in joining the Congressional Black Caucus until learning that
was against caucus rules.
Another of his first acts as a freshman congressman in early 2007
was to introduce the slavery apology resolution. His office said that
the House resolution was brought to the floor only after learning that
the Senate would be unable to join in a joint resolution.
More than a dozen of the 42 Congressional Black Caucus members in
the House were original co-sponsors of the measure. The caucus has not
endorsed either Cohen or his chief rival, attorney Nikki Tinker, in the
Memphis primary, although Cohen is backed by several senior members,
including Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., and Ways
and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. Tinker is the
former campaign manager of Harold Ford, Jr., who held Cohen's seat
until he stepped down in an unsuccessful run for the Senate in 2006.
___
The bill is H. Res. 194
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