Lagos — The United States Congress, for the first time in its 230-year history, issued a formal apology for slavery and segregation. It described that dark period in America's history as inhuman.
Significantly, the apology did not agree with the payment of reparations as long agitated for by African political activists and intellectuals. The Senators who issued the apology on Capitol Hill on Thursday, last week, condemned centuries of injustice caused by slavery. In a strongly worded document, the Congress unanimously voted to acknowledge the "fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow laws." The apology stated that the US Congress "apologises 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 laws."
If the House of Representatives pass a similar measure as expected this week, it will mark the highest effort to apologise for the wrongs of the past. The recent apology is coming after a similar effort failed to make it to the United State's Senate in 2008 though it had been passed in the lower chamber. The resolution affirmed the "principle that all people are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and calls on all people of the United States to work towards eliminating racial prejudices, injustices and discrimination from our society."
The resolution was sponsored by Democrat Tom Harkin, who noted that Congress had never before issued a formal apology for slavery. "It's long past due. A national apology by the representative body of the people is a necessary collective response to a past collective injustice," Harkin said, adding, "so it is both appropriate and imperative that Congress fulfill its moral obligation and officially apologise for slavery and Jim Crow laws."
Jim Crow laws were enshrined in the US Constitution to segregate blacks and whites.
The Senate action comes more than 40 years after the Civil Rights Act was passed, 146 years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and in the same year Barack Obama was sworn in as the first African-American president.
The non-binding resolution, which does not have the force of law, includes a disclaimer stating that the measure does not authorise or support reparations for the descendants of African slaves brought to the United States before the Civil War. The inclusion of the disclaimer in the Senate resolution has drawn sharp criticism from members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, was quoted as saying that "no one pretends that a mere apology or any words can right the wrongs of the past, but it represents our recognition of the past and our commitment to fully live up to our nation's promise."
Former President Bill Clinton, while in office, had expressed regret for the act while George W. Bush described it as "one of the greatest crimes of history. But they stopped short of a proper apology. Some states in the country had also adopted resolutions expressing regret for slavery, but no formal bill at the national level was officially passed.
The resolution also fell on June 19, being the celebration of the freedom of African-Americans at the end of the Civil War in 1865.
Plans are in the works for a ceremony in the Capitol rotunda on July 7 to commemorate the action of the congress, according to reports.
Writers have noted that Congress does not often offer formal apologies. In recent times, through the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, Congress apologised to the Japanese who were forced to live in internment camps during World War II. The Senate has also adopted an amendment apologising for the U.S. legacy of brutality against Native Americans. In 2005, the Senate adopted a resolution apologising for its history of filibustering legislation designed to combat lynching of African Americans during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Advocates who say black Americans should be compensated for slavery and its Jim Crow aftermath appear to be gaining victories and momentum. Fueled by the work of scholars and lawyers, their campaign has grown in recent years from a fringe-group rallying cry into sophisticated, mainstream movement. Recently, a pair of churches apologised for their part in the slave trade, and one is studying ways to repay black Church members.
The overall issue, it has been claimed, is hardly settled; even among black Americans: Some say that focusing on slavery should not be a top priority or that it does not make sense to compensate people generations after a historical wrong.
The Senate action was the latest attempt by Congress to deal with a prickly issue that has sparked debate for at least 20 years among some politicians and civil rights activists. There are significant differences between this proposed congressional apology and the apology passed by the US House last year. The House apology did not trouble to say that it could not serve as a basis for a legal claim for reparations. Furthermore, that apology also committed the House "to rectify the lingering consequences" of slavery and discrimination, which comes remarkably close to calling for reparations for slavery.
The resolution was introduced with eight co-sponsors: Sen. Christopher Bond (R-Mo.), Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kans.), Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), and Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.).
The resolution is entitled "A concurrent resolution apologising for the enslavement and racial segregation of African Americans." As a concurrent resolution, the apology would be voted on by the Senate and then the House, becoming a joint statement of Congress if approved by both chambers. A concurrent resolution expresses the sentiments of both houses of Congress; unlike a joint resolution, a concurrent resolution is not submitted to the president and does not have the force of law.
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What? This is no more than empty words to most descendants of slaves. All of the many deaths and many years of working for free to build up this country to be a superpower and it is worth $0 to us? The apology is only an insult without reparations. In fact it is the ultimate extreme insult. The USA is comprised of 50 states. Why not let Blacks at least have one of the states for their own self-government. What are the whites afraid of? Is it because they are afraid that Blacks would succeed and be more prosperous than whites? We believe so. We must have some of this earth so we can feel like a whole people.
Succeed like Africa has? Doesn't some African nations support the use of slaves even today? If the supporters of repirations start with a list of "offenders" they will be looking right back at some African nations.
COMPREHENSIVE REPARATIONS - White Europeans need spiritual reparations
- Black Africans need spiritual & financial reparations
A. Appendix of Uncle Tom's Cabin Lists Companies who engaged in slavery
B. NAACP & Black African Newspapers - records & details of lynchings
1. Post Emancipation Slavery Cases (Convict Labor System Continues) via Modern Slavery Owners
2. Prison Stock Wall Street
3. No Statute of Limitations on Murder ;[ LYNCHINGS ]
BOOKNOTES FROM THE BOOK (and other sources) 100 YEARS OF LYNCHING BY RALPH GINZBURG
[A H victims ] - THEIR LOCATIONS & DATES
* Henry Askew Mississippi City, MS June 10, 1900
* Walter Allen Rome, GA Apr 1, 1902
* Herman Arthur (1892) Hodges Farm - Paris, TX July 6, 1920
* Irving Arthur (1901) Hodges Farm - Paris, TX July 6, 1920
* Charles Atkins (1907) Davisboro , GA May 18, 1922
* Henry Argo (1911) Chickasha , OK May 31, 1930
* George Armwood (1909) Princess Anne, MD Oct 18, 1933
* Will Burks (1881) Greenwood,SC Feb 18, 1900
* James Bailey Lake Cormorant, TX July 15, 1914
* Jeff Brown Cedar Bluff, MS Apr 1, 1916
* Cleveland Butler Dublin, GA July 2, 1919
* Will Brown Omaha, NE Oct, 1919
* William Bowles Eagle Lake, FL ????????
* Jake Brooks Oklahoma City, OK Jan 17, 1922
* Parks Banks Yazoo City, MS Aug 22, 1922
* Albert Blades Osceola, AR June 2, 1926
* Willie Bryan (1906) Darien, GA Sept 10, 1930
* Norris Bendy Clinton, SC July 5, 1933
* Richard Coleman (1879) Maysville, KY Dec 6, 1899
* Elijah Clark (1880) Huntsville, AL June 23, 1900
* Ballie Crutchfield Nashville, TN March 16, 1901
* Dusty Crutchfield - Hamilton, GA Jan 23, 1912
* Eugene Carter Pierce City, MO Aug 10, 1901
* Tom Clark Corinth,MS Sept 28, 1904
* Luther Colbert & His Wife Eastland Plantation - Doddsville, MS July 7, 1914
* William Carr Planquemines, LA March 17, 1906
* James Comeaux Jennings, LA Aug 28, 1913
* Henry Crosby Parkinsville, KY Sept 21, 1913
* Mary Conley Arlington, GA Oct 4, 1916
* Lloyd Clay (1895) Jackson, MS June 4, 1919
* Eli Cooper Eastman, GA - Burned Lodges & Churches too Aug 29, 1919
* Dallas Cooksey Johnson City, TN Oct 28, 1920
* Shap Curry (1896) King Ranch - Kirvin, TX May 6, 1922
* John Cornish (1903) King Ranch - Kirvin, TX May 6, 1922
* Samuel Carter (1877) Bronson, FL - This actual lynching was depicted In the movie Rosewood Jan 4, 1923
* Lindsay Coleman Nicholas Plantation - Clarksdale, MS Dec 19, 1928
* Henry Choate (1909) Columbia, TN Nov 12, 1927
* Cord Cheeck (1913) Columbia, TN Dec 15, 1933
* John Criggs (ca. 1904) Newton, TX - Worked At Box Factory June 21, 1934
* Richard Dickerson Springfield, OH Feb 7, 1904 ?
* Jim Durfee Angleton , TX Oct 14, 1914
* Frank Dodd DeWitt, AR Oct 9, 1914
* George Dorsey (1919) & Wife - Monroe, GA July 27, 1946
* Charles Evan Norway, SC July 2, 1903
* Ruben Elrod Piedmont, SC July 2, 1903
* Warren Eton Monroe, LA Oct 22, 1913
* Charles Fisher Marshall, TX April 29, 1914
* John Foreman + 1 / - Nowata, OK Sept 30, 1916
* Jim Fox Louisville, MS June 13, 1927
* Mark Fox Louisville , MS June 13, 1927
* Gulley (whole name unkown) Pierce City, MO Aug 10, 1901
* Richard Galloway + 1 / Beaumont, TX June 6, 1913
* Wilson Gardner Birmingham, AL Aug 25, 1913
* Willie Green Cowards, SC Dec 6, 1914
* Ernest Glenwood ? Americus, GA Oct 3, 1919
* Philip Gathans ? Rincon, GA June 21, 1920
* George Gay (1897) Fairfield, TX Dec 14, 1922
* George Grant Darien, GA Sept 10, 1930
* David Gregory Beaumont, TX Dec 8, 1933
* Sam Holt Newman, GA Apr 23, 1899
* Belle Hathaway Hamilton, GA Jan 23, 1912
* Eugene Hamming Hamilton, GA Jan 23, 1912
* Hammet, Jess ? Vivian, LA Aug 26, 1916
* George Holden Monroe, LA May 1, 1919
* Robert Hicks (1896) Lake Village, AR Nov 29, 1921
* Len Hart (1889) Jacksonville, FL Aug 25, 1913
* George Hughes (1889) Sherman, TX May 10, 1930
* Ellwood Higginbotham Oxford, MS Sept 18, 1935
[I Q victims ] - THEIR LOCATIONS & DATES
* Ron Jacobs Tylertown, Mississippi - Nov 10, 1920
* Henry Jacobs Tylertown, Mississippi - Nov 23, 1920
* Richard James Versailles, KY Mar 13, 1921
* Moses Jones King Ranch, Kirvin, TX May 6, 1922
* Joe Love Clarksdale, MS June 9, 1934
* Wesley Johnson Montgomery, AL June 4, 1937
* Ray Newsome H.A. Woods FarmPinetta, FL Oct 1, 1921
* Nash Nelson (1909) Ringgold, LA Feb 20, 1933
* Andrew McCloud (1908) Bastrop, LA July 9, 1934
* Claude Neal (1911) Marianna, FL Oct 27, 1934
* Bootjack McDaniels Duck Hill, MS Apr 14, 1937
* Wilder McGowan (1914) Wiggins, MS Nov 22, 1938
* Roger Malcolm (1919) & His Wife Monroe, GA July 27, 1916
Warren ? (1906) New Dacus, TX June 24, 1922
An African American - Pilot Point, TX Dec 29, 1922
Clarence ? Aiken, SC Oct 8, 1926
Bertha ? Aiken, SC Oct 8, 1926
Demon ? Aiken, SC Oct 8, 1926
Willie Kirkland Magnolia Gardens, GA Sept 25, 1936 ?
??? - Ninety-Six, SC Oct 9, 1933
Wylie McNeely (1902) Leesburg, TX Oct 11, 1921
John Peterson Demark, SC ca. 1899
F.D. McLand - Shreveport, LA June 19, 1901
John Pennington Enterprise, AL August 7, 1901
Pierce City African Americans Pierce City, MO August 20,1901
Dudley Morgan Lansing, TX May 22, 1902
Ed Johnson Knoxville, TN March 19, 1906
Judge James Pine Bluff, AR March 26, 1910
1520 Negroes Slocum-Denisons Springs-Palestine,TX7/31/1910
Honea Path Augusta, GA November 13, 1916 ?
John Moore Hamilton, GA January 23, 1912
Tom Miles Shreveport, LA April 9, 1912
A/A Man Jackson, GA May 4, 1912
Willis Perkins Sheffield, AL Sept, 1912
Walter Johnston Princeton, WVA September 7, 1912
???? Perrys Marshall, TX February 27, 1913
Joe & John Perry Henderson, NC March 12, 1913
Richard Puckett Laurens, SC August 12, 1913
Lige Lane Clinton County, GA 1913
Charley Jones Groveton, GA May 8, 1914
Watson Lewis Sylvester, GA? December 13, 1914
Felix Lake Sylvester, GA - January 22, 1916
Frank Lake Sylvester, GA - January 22, 1916
Dewer Lake Sylvester, GA - January 22, 1916
Major Lake Sylvester, GA - January 22, 1916
Oscar Martin Idabel, OK April 4, 1916
Two A/As Paducah, KY October 16, 1916
Will Powell Montgomery, AL July 25, 1917
Jesse Powell Montgomery, AL July 25, 1917
Ell Persons Memphis, TN May 18, 1917
Jim McIlherron Estill Springs, TN February 13, 1918
William Little Blakely, GA April 4, 1919
[R Z (victims ] - THEIR LOCATIONS & DATES
Wells, George Weir City, KS October 30, 1899
Rice, Louis Ripley, TN March 24, 1900
Russ, Ed Mississippi City, MS June 10, 110
Sanders, John + (1?) Sneads, FL June, 1900
Reid, George Rome, GA January 4, 1900
Ward, George Terre Haute, IN February 27, 1900
Smith, Frank Prophet- Shreveport, LA June 19, 1901
Wyatt, David S, - Belleville, IL June 8, 1900
White, George F. Wilmington, DE June 20, 1903
Steers, Jennie Beard Plantation/Shreveport, LA- July 27, 1903
A/A Residents Whitesboro , TX August 12, 1904
Winters, John Eastland Plantation/Doddsville, MS Feb 7, 1904
A/A Residents Springfield, OH February 9, 1904
Nine (9) A/As St. Charles , AR March 25, 1904
Richardson, Grant Braehead, AL October 13, 1910
Verge , Sam Demopolis, AL August 4, 1911
Qualken, Zachariah Coatesville, PA August 14, 1911
Rufficant , ? Wetumpka, AL November 11, 1912
Ricker, David (1883) Houston, TX February 8, 1913
Williams, Andrew Houston, TX February, 1913
Tyson, Charles (secret lynching) Shreveport, LA 2/16/1913
Redding , William (4 wounded) Americus, GA June 21, 1913
Swanson, Virgil Greenville , GA August 27, 1913
Scott, Marie Muskogee, OK March 13, 1914
Sullivan, Fred & Wife Byhalia, MS November 25, 1914
Reed, Young Cedar Keys, FL February 26, 1915
Sheffield , Caesar Lake Park, GA April 17, 1915
Wilton, Mallie? Dresden, TN September 8, 1915
Stevenson, Cordelia Columbus, MS December 18, 1915
Wasshington, Jesse Waco, TX - May 15, 1916
Smith, Bert Goose Creek, TX - October 12, 1917
Washington, Berry Eastman, GA May, 1919
Scott, Henry Atlantic Coastline R/R , FL May 8, 1920
Roach, Edward (1896) Durham, NC July 8, 1920
Roland, Jim Camillia, GA February 13, 1921
Slater, Phil (1871) Monticelle, AR March 17, 1921
Smith, Leroy (1907) McGhee, AR May 27, 1921
Williams, John Henry Moultrie, GA June 20, 1921
Winn, Alexander Coolidge, TX August 16, 1921
Wothfield, Jerome Winstron, NC August 18, 1921
Turner, Will Helena, AR November 19, 1921
Rouse, Fred Armour Packing Ft. Worth, TX Dec 12, 1921
Thomas , Jesse + 1 - Waco, TX May 27, 1922
West, John Hope, AR July 28, 1922
Wright, Charles Perry, FL September 14, 1922
Young, Albert Perry, FL September 14, 1922
Scott, James T. Columbia, MO April 29, 1923
Warner, Lloyd St. Joseph, MO November 29, 1933
Thomas, Isaac Clarksdale, MS June 9, 1934
Sanders, James (1909) Bolton, MS July 16, 1934
Young, Ab Slayden, MS March 12, 1935
Tyrone, R.J. Hattiesburg, MS April 24, 1935
Shaw, Lint (1891) Colbert, GA April 28, 1934
Townes, Roosevelt Duck Hill, MS October 14, 1934
Williams, A.C. Quincy, FL 1934?
VICTIMS , THEIR LOCATIONS & DATES
* UNKNOWN AFRICAN AMERICANS LYNCHED *
- 1 Person - Eastman, GA Sept 11, 1903
- 3 Persons Doddsville, MS Feb 7, 1904
- 4 Persons Dady, FL (Also many A/As left town) Aug 4, 1910
- 2 Persons Hartwell, GA (1 beaten) Jan 3, 1916
- 6 Persons - Blakely, GA (Also Lodge & Church Burned) Jan 3, 1916
* An African-American R/R Porter Atlantic Coastline R/R (FL) May 8, 1920
[As pay got better for R/R workers, many A/As Were terrorized or killed Hence we now have mostly White Railroad Workers]
* Joe Pop Omaha, NE Oct 10, 1891
* Ed _____ - Black River Section Of Williamsburg County Jan 13, 1927
* [Unknown] Columbus, MS July 22, 1933
* [Unknown] Franklinton, LA Jan 11, 1933
* [Unknown ] Savannah, GA March 30, 1902
Unknown Wetumpka, AL November 11, 1912
A/A Woman Wagner, OK April, 1914
Sea????, ____- Sylvester, GA January 22, 1916
One(1) A/A - Stuttgart, AR Late August , 1916
A/A Brakeman Yazoo & MS Valley R/R - March 17, 1921
_____, Albert - Perry, FL September 14, 1922
Unknown Streetman, TX December 11, 1922 Swa???, Henry Palm Beach , FL Circa 1923
MOBS OUT OF CONTROL
Places ,Dates & Estimates of the total crowd(s)
STATE CITY/COUNTY DATE CROWD
ALABAMA Huntsville 7/23/1900 1,500 Montgomery 5/22/? 1,500
ARKANSAS Nodema 1/27/1921 500 Texarkana 7/28/1922 100
DELEWARE Wilmington 6/22/1903 2,000
FLORIDA Marianna 10/27/1934 7,000
GEORGIA Newman 4/23/1899 2,000 Rome 1/3/1901 150 Rome 4/1/1902 4,000 Hamilton 1/23/1912 100 Eastman 7/14/1901 50 Americus 6/21/1913 500 Rincon 6/21/1920 5,000 Davisboro 5/18/1922 200 Royston 4/28/1936 100
KENTUCKY Maysville 12/7/1899 2,000 Versailles 3/13/1921 50
LOUISIANA Shreveport 6/19/1901 200 Shreveport 8/26/1916 1,000 Sylvester 12/12/1914 200 Bastrop 7/9/1934 3,000 Ringgold 3/1/1933 1,500
MARYLAND Princess Anne 10/18/1933 3,000 Salisbury 11/28/1933 500
MOBS OUT OF CONTROL
Places ,Dates & Estimates of the total crowd(s) STATE CITY/COUNTY DATE CROWD
MISSISSIPPI Biloxi 6/10/1900 100 Clarksdale 6/9/1934 150 Doddsville 2/7/1904 1,000 Vicksburg 5/15/1919 1,000 Winon 4/13/1937 100
MISSOURI Columbia 4/29/1923 500 Maryville 1/31/1931 3,000 St. Joseph 11/29/1933 10,000
NEBRASKA Omaha 10/10/1891 10,000
NORTH CAROLINA Roxboro 7/8/1920 200 Winston 8/18/1921 2,000
OHIO Lima 8/31/1916 3,000
OKLAHOMA Chickasha 5/31/1930 1,000
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia 2/18/1900 250
TENNESSEE Estill Springs 2/12/1918 2,000
TEXAS Corsicana 3/13/1901 5,000 El Campo ??? 300 Ft. Worth (Armour Packing) 12/17/1921 30 Goose Creek 10/12/1917 800 Houston 2/8/1913 1,000 Houston 6/24/1922 300 Kirvin 5/6/1922 500 Lansing 5/22/1902 4,000 Newton 6/21/1934 200 Palestine 7/31/1910 300 Paris 1/6/1920 3,000 Streetman 12/14/1922 1,500 Waco 5/15/1916 15,000
MISCELLANEOUS
1 Mass Exodus Of African Americans resulting in major losses of properties. a) Yazoo City, MS August 10, 1923
2) African Americans Homes and/or Churches Burned a) Sherman , TX May 10, 1930 b) Winnsboro, SC June 14, 1932
HEROES , THEIR LOCATIONS & DATES
NAME (S) LOCATION DATE
Sheriff Ely Lima, OH 8/31/1916
14 Year Old Sheriffs Daughter Columbia,SC Jan, 1917
Grover C. Fain (Police Captain) Atlanta,GA 9/10/1930
Sheriff Hood & 6 Deputies Winnsboro,SC ??
Police Whitesboro,TX 8/13/1903
Dr. James W. Reid Lowell, NC 3/26/1933
Mayor Edward P. Smith Omaha,NE 9/29/1919
Governor Stanley Murray, KY Jan, 1917
Sheriff R.J. White Spartanburg,SC 8/18/1913
[This inspiring poem was featuring in the movie Coach Carter ]
Our Deepest Fear Is Not That We Are Inadequate, Our Deepest Fear Is That We Are Powerful Beyond Measure. It Is Our Light , Not Our Darkness That Most Frightens Us.
We Ask Ourselves, Who Am I To Be Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented, And Fabulous ?
Actually Who Are We Not To Be ? You Are A Child Of God.
Your Playing Small Doesnt Serve The World.
There Is Nothing Enlightened About Shrinking So That Other People Wont Feel Insecure Around You.
We Are All Meant To Shine, As Children Do.
We Were Born To Make Manifest The Glory Of God That Is Within Us.
Its Not Just In Some Of Us; Its In Everyone.
And When We Let Our Own Light Shine We Unconsciously Give Other People Permission To Do The Same.
And As We Are Liberated From Our Own Fear, Our Presence Automatically Liberates Others
- Marianne Williamson -
[NOTE BEING AFRAID AND REFUSING TO GET INVOLVED WONT STOP US FROM DYING. BUT BEING AFRAID CAN PREVENT US FROM LIVING]
(Nkosi Sikeleli Africa )
God bless Africa May her glory be lifted high Hear our petitions .
God bless us, Your children God we ask You to protect our nation Intervene and end all conflicts Protect us, protect our nation, our nation.
From the blue of our heaven, From the depths of our sea, Over our eternal mountain ranges, Where the cliffs give answer.
Sounds the call to come together, And united we shall stand, Let us live and strive for freedom, In South Africa our land.
[Enoch Mankayi Sontonga]
[http://www.infowars.com/infowars.asx] / [gcnlive.com] / [http://alexjonesringtones.net/]
WAKE UP ! STAY UP MY BROTHERS & SISTERS ! BE SELF-SUFFICIENT IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
- Life Is a Game. Have Fun. [ Luke 18:17 / Isaiah 11:6 ]