The Healing Has Begun... U.S. Senate Apologizes For Slavery
Today, we celebrate Juneteenth, a day commemorating the announcement of the abolition of slavery on June 19, 1865. Yesterday, after 144 years, the United States Senate apologized for slavery. With a unanimous vote, America has begun her healing process. For our country will never be able to heal itself without atoning for the sins of our past. We have finally recognized that in order for us to move forward as a people in this beautiful nation, we need to acknowledge the pain that we all have suffered because of slavery. The pain has lasted for the past 144 years, and now with our government taking the right step in apologizing, I know that we can begin to heal. The effects of slavery on our communities have been devastating. The devastation does not stop because of the apology; however these are words that we needed to hear. We all needed to hear. This was a day that many of us have dreamed about for our entire lives. This was a day that many who were at the forefront of this struggle could not enjoy because they are no longer with us. And for those heroes, I go to work every day to make sure that they are never forgotten.
With my newly appointed position as the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the Permanent Memorial to the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, I vow to work on behalf of our young people to make sure that we never have to feel this sort of pain again. As we all know, slavery and human trafficking exist all around the world, at record numbers. We must remember the past, however we also must work to prevent our mistakes from happening again in the future. I will work even harder in my roles as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, and I urge you all to take a moment to recognize the importance of the actions of the United States Senate. Let the healing continue...
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1) Russell is absolutely correct that this is a beginning and a step in the right direction that must continue.
2) An apology from the Senate seems like an empty gesture; but it is important in the sense that it reminds us of our past, a past that we cannot afford to forget.
3) The establishment of a socially equitable society is the best to way atone for the sins of (some) our forefathers and an idea we can all embrace.
4) Although there is a lot to be done, I believe the United States has come a long way and generally people have the opportunity to be what they want to be.
Apparently the death of over 250,000 American soldiers (some of my ancestors), was not apology enough?
Black people are Americans and died in the Civil War. What point are you making?
I'm saying the quarter million union troops who fought and died in the Civil War...thei
The main issue in the Civil War was states rights....
Please read:
"If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came. . ."
-Abraham Lincoln, 1865
PS At least 618,000 American soldiers - almost all white - died in the Civil War which ended slavery in the Southern states.
Faulty logic. The right of secession did spark war. But southern states wanted to secede primarily to protect the institution of slavery.
Check out the rationale for secession laid out by South Carolina, Mississippi, Texas and Georgia. It's pretty appalling language, especially when you consider it came directly from their legislatures:
http://sun
This is ridiculous. An apology for hundreds of years of abductions, abuse, exploitation, rape and torture. What has to be done is government financed psychological therapy for the healing of internal suppression of feelings of inferiority and related problems affecting your communities.
Psychotherypy seems like a long, drawn out process and I wonder if it is even effective. Save your time and go to the Landmark Forum and their Advanced course. The two of them together should be under $1200, take about a week to complete and you will probably come out healed emotionally and psychologically and a brand new person in so many areas of your life.
Of course, Landmark will NEVER admit that you will get this kind of benefit as everyone gets something different and probably healed at their point of need. In fact, they won't even admit you might get healed emotionally or psychologically. They will just tell you what some people report. I believe Harvard University did a study on them and the study was favorable I believe.
And if you need more fine tuning, try EFT (google) It's under $200 and is self paced. War veterans and many other people with problems have been healed emotionally using this technique.
Don't waste another moment on the thoughts you posted above that are running around in your head. I wonder if you have made yourself suffer unknowingly. Most people do.
You're going to kick yourself when you see how easy it is to release yourself from this trauma.
Oh, and afterward, if the government pays for slavery, submit your bill to them. But I wouldn't wait. You have wasted enough time as the living dead. It is time to live life. You'l be in the grave soon enough.
These are people who lack education and skill, who have bad health, poor housing. Low levels of aspiration and high levels of mental distress…Each disability is the more intense because it exists within a web of disabilities. And if one problem is solved, and the others are left constant, there is little gain.”(Nag
i'm not sorry at all for anything i've never done...sla
NCO
There were not a small minority that owned slaves, slaves were a staple through all of the colonies and the newly formed Republic, including the northern states. When slaves were abolished in the north, it only lead to indentured servitude, not a whole lot better but ownership was not as defined.
The acknowledgment of our government to apologize for slavery symbolizes that it existed and it is never to happen again, this is the opposite of Ahmedijan who say's the holocaust never existed.
I am so ashamed to live in the same state as you, I only hope that you don't represent what our state stands for.
You are a sad little man.
"When slaves were abolished in the north, it only lead to indentured servitude"
Really? Now there is a WRONG answer on a history test. What pure educational tripe.
I highly suggest you not look at the grade on your history exam. It would make you feel bad and then the Senate would have to issue an apology some day.
America racheted up to the top of the world economic totem pole BECAUSE of free slave labor the rest of the Western world could not/would not tolerate on their shores. The banking records of this Nation's oldest banks clearly show how every Caucasian citizen - and the growth and very fast building of the infrastructure of this Nation depended upon free slave labor. The body and blood of our ancestors was the MORTAR of Washington DC - as well as many other States.
This kind of ignorance is why a formal apology is necessary.
Slavery was THE defining business institution, uniquely, of the US of America - from shipping to cotton - from human beings as actual currency (1/3 of Thomas Jefferson's wealth). Calling slavery a "tiny minority" of slave owners does not do justice to the expanse of its influence as the defining currency driver of every business in America for generations.
Fortunately, you are a "tiny minority" of this kind of ignorance - circa 2009. Not even the Birch Society would make such a statement.
It always tickles me how white people start looking around when they are asked to pays for their sins. It's almost how everybody acts when playing musical chairs. Nobody wants to be left standing. You whipped, killed, raped, miamed, hung, seperated families, and refused to educate generations of a race of people. During this time, white people and their progeny have amassed a ridiculous amount of wealth since. Trust me, you are truly embarassing yourselves. This country was literally built on the back of slaves. See, even after slavery was abolished, you still required us to pay taxes for govenrnent services that were not availed to us. Yet, we still entertained you, fought your wars, and made glorious scientific advances for your benefit. White people looked down from their houses with the pearly white fences and told the black man to pick himself up. There were blacks that banded together and made thriving communities, but the government actually sanctioned their destruction. Look at some of the cases in Florida. Saved your breath with it wasn't me speach, why do you think the government didn't give the slave his 40 acres and a mule. For the very reason, you are trying to muddy the water with. Let me clarify, since white people all of sudden don't understand the tenants of racism. When black people say white people, they really mean "white society". This way there is no reason to scrabble around for a seat.
Muad Dib, I couldn't have said it better. Some whites(and amazingly some so-called blacks) would rather this whole "slave thing" be "slept under the rug" since this didn't happen under their "watch" and astoundingly, some think slavery was a "good thing" for black folks. I guess they think black folks are some kind of fools. Do you think the Jews would accept that they just "get over" the Holocaust and it was a "good thing" for them? And what about the Native Americans and the internment of the Japanese and genocide of the Armenians, Rwandans, Darfur, etc.?
And it "tickles" me to see how you can use a phrase like "white people start looking around" and it's accepted, but if I said "black people..." it would be looked at as a racist statement and you'd probably get offended.
I do my best not to use such generalities as "white people" all do this as a group or "black people" all do that. I think that only further fuels the divides and racism as a whole. I prefer to look at individuals, not skin color. That kind of thinking and writing as in your comment shows exactly where today's racism is really living-- so stop focusing on me and take a look at the guy in the mirror.
I did not do any of the atrocities that you're talking about and I accept none of the blame. I'm not saying it needs to be swept away, but every time you say 'you white people did this to us' it's going to perpetuate the situation. Imagine if I had a crime or two committed against me by black people, and then constantly talked about 'you black people all stole from me'. I imagine you'd get sick and tired of hearing that. That type of thinking simply doesn't help anything whatsoever.
On reparation
I, for the record, have never enslaved, beat, or abused a black person. Should the government take my tax dollars and give them to someone else on my behalf for something I didn't do, that's called STEALING-- 'reparations' is just a cute, upscale way to say that.
Although I was raised in a prejudiced environment, I've done my best to make sure I do not think that way. But believe me when I say it seriously pisses me off to hear people wanting reparations from me (by my being white, a US taxpayer, or whatever the method).
I've had some very influential and upstanding AA's in my life, like teachers, etc. Maybe the concept of reparations infuriates me so much because I don't think of people like that asking for them. No, who comes to mind is quite the opposite, and they're the type people that AA's I've admired are no doubt ashamed to share their skin color with.
Every time this subject comes up, it forces me to keep in mind all the many AA's that understand how reparations are wrong. It clarifies my stance on the matter-- In the end it doesn't matter the skin color, people who want handouts will always think of any possible way to get them.
Tell that sob story to the Wall Street bankers!!!
Sob story? Huh?
I don't think what the government did with Wall Street was right in the least, not to mention countless other topics that have nothing to do with this article. Surely you're not suggesting that since the government wastes money anyhow, it somehow should make the idea of reparations more tolerable?
Maybe if we all banded together and stopped fussing about reparations from dead people we could get the government to get reparations paid to society from the thief-bankers and CEO's who are alive and living -very- well as we speak!
Huge nerver here. You suggest that you knew Black people of a certain status and you have some certainty that they would not request such consideration? Did you ever actually ask? I hate to break this to you, but most white people have little clue about what most Black people care or think about simply because such notions are not generally shared with white people. On that, you can trust me. You are making big assumptions.
I wonder what else vexes you on how your taxes are utilized. You a big fan of illegal wars? You a big fan of corporate welfare? The Isreali war machine? Foreign aide to some of the most repressive and backward regimes on the planet?
Somehow the notion of paying for two and one half centuries of free labor sticks in your craw? Would the idea of Black people's reparations cause you to participate in a tax revolt?
I think that you are not trying hard enough.
Tons of tax issues 'vex' me of course, but I find it quite odd how that seems like a popular, or even viable, defense to your argument. Just because the US government spends vast amounts of money on causes I disagree with I shouldn't be bothered by one more? That logic is severely flawed. Your defense shouldn't be based on shifting the topic.
As for paying for free labor: You are likely using the same infrastructure as I am, and I'm betting that you didn't build any of it yourself (or got paid to do so if you did). So why should you get paid for its existence or I have to pay more for it? I'm sure any of us could look back and find where an ancestor got totally screwed over, but are we individuals or are we not? If my grandfather stole from your grandfather should you be allowed to demand that I be held responsible for his actions? That simply is not how our system works, and it's a good thing for ALL of us!!!
Look up these terms: US constitution, Attainder, Corruption of Blood.
But, I guess you at least made it pretty clear which side of the handout fence you're on.
"such notions are not generally shared with white people"
Bit racist don't you think?
And frankly my family lost a member fighting in that war. Do we get a discount on the amount we owe you for sacrificing a loved one? Or how about my family from Poland? Do we get a discount because we weren't even here and you can't find any reference to Poland in the slave trade?
And while we are at it I believe the underground railroad ran through my state and Frederick Douglas actually preached in my church. Do we get a discount as well ?
We do want to be fair here and if you want reparations we will have to pay for them and it seems rather unfair to ask all to pay. Otherwise you are in the bizarre realm of taxing black people for money to pay themselves. And I won't even get into that whole, "How black are you" argument least we start finding out who slept with who when......
The point is that the United States and its companies benefited financially off of free labor for hundreds of years. The garment industry, the insurance industry, the tobacco industry, the transportation industry, and the entire southern economy was completely dependent on slaves to sustain it. Because of that benefit of FREE Labor, families became rich and the government became the world power it is today. Reparations is more about back pay for labor already done than a free hand out now.
It will never happen.
Some wrongs are absolutely irreparable. That said, here's a little insight into some of those irreparable wrongs I see in the lives of black people and why even a token gesture is better than nothing.
First...Na
I could write a book about this all by itself. It is there at the root of all that afflicts the core value system of African Americans. So the "get over it crowd" may be right to want to leave the past in the past, but I see far too many African Americans trapped in a negative culture passed down from those slave generations to buy it. I see far too many later generation beneficiaries of this institutionalized and strenuously enforced 'caste' system to wave it off and tell folks to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. The designers of this system intended it to create a labor force of maximum economic benefit to themselves. Reparations, if anything is symbolic gesture as well. Noooooo amount of money can ever fix this!!!
what everyone should know, if the blacks had not fought in the civil war it would right now be the confederate states of america thank god they fought and helped win the war that established the wonderful country that we have today!!!
A little off topic, but I love a good debate and I know a little bit, so I guess I'll bite. Without denying the significant black contribution to the Union's cause...
The South was doomed from the start and here's why:
-Failure to Unite (the rest are in no specific order)
-Lack of International upport
-Population
-Money - Supplies
-Transportation
One other factor was the North's underdevelopment of the Southern States. Ultimately, The Civil War became a war of attrition. The side with the greater resources has the advantage in such a situation.
The south had a reasonable chance and thought so because our military was based in the south. They actually had the upper hand when it came to experienced military men and controlled what were then considered military bases. They lost because they were arrogant with too many generals, treated the foot soldiers like slaves and were just plain on the wrong side. I for one am glad.
Just google black soldiers in the civil war, 16 were awarded the medal of honor, a total of 179,000 fought and served in one way or another, 10 percent of the entire forces that fought, in the civil war, we are reaping the rewards of their valor and service to america, they are the reason we have a free country today!!!
Again, I'm not denying the black contribution to the war effort. I'm aware that black men, (free and slave) bravely fought and served...a
However, I still don't think the South had a reasonable chance.
The apology was made a long time ago...in blood. Arlington Cemetery and a host of National Cemeteries across this nation hold the bodies of those Americans who gave their lives to make men free. The apology of a bunch of useless Washington hacks, who have more important business to attend to does not begin to be equivalent to the apology that has already been given to African Americans. You would know this is if your community spent any time really learning the history of the American Civil War and your place in that history.
The apology you should seek is for this nation's failure to provide your community with the Equal Rights and Opportunities that were won for you on the battlefields of the 1860's. Apologizing for the sins of previous generations is a hollow gesture and you should be smart enough to understand that.
uhh it like woulda cost less if ya you know they didn't make slavery in the first place.
Typical, useless, arrogant and patronizing comment INDICATIVE of why the apology was necessary in the first place.
You know the history of the Civil War? There are a number of posts here that expose the lie of wars being fought to free people. The only wars that are fought to free people are those fought by people seeking freedom.
Most African Americans are quite aware of the "history" of the Civil war (which many African Americans also served in---of course in segregated regiments as my great-great grandfather did). And while we all honor the memory of those who died to make people free, it is the institution of slavery that is the root cause for many years of residual hatred, racism, and inequality experienced by the African American community. And of course, it was Slavery which caused the need for the Civil war and all the subsequent deaths that occurred as a result of war. So, since, slavery is the root of it all. Why not start with the root cause? Any trained or professional social or organizational analyst will tell you that is the only way to solve problems.
okay...It is real Basic. "Slavery " is not the issue it is everything else that happened after. Breeding and Raping of the Slaves, Jim Crow and even to this day the way Obama is Portrayed. The Effects of Slavery on People Of Color is unmeasurable. Denial to this facts can only be ignorance. The Difference is Simple. Go to A neighborhood where there is a group of 10 young Black Kids from Brownsville Brooklyn, 10 Young Jewish Kids in Crown Heights Brooklyn or 10 young (White) Kids From Howard Beach. Which group of Kids would be harassed and Told to "Keep it Moving" or "Go Home" First. by the police. I am Sorry but at the end of the day basic life is compromised by being a black man in America.
What color are you talking about? Slavery in the U.S. was written into the U.S. Constitution. Over time, the definition of race was based on African ancestry, often referred to as "one drop black blood," and was independent of color. Look up Plessy v. Ferguson.
Life is not compromised by being a black man in America. Get educated.
You keep on thinking that, and keep telling your kids that and that will keep all of you down.
But isn't their other reasons for why the black kids are told to move on? Such as crime riddled (black on black crime) neighborhoods where the innocent are caught in the cross fire. My mother is a teacher and she often sees her students on the news when a crime occurs in their neighborhood. We are talking 4th and 5th graders out a 11 or later on a school night. This was after a shooting so where is the family unit? I personally was hassled this year at college. The cop was arrogant and abusive but in the long run I should not have been there.
Maybe the black family unit needs to be restructured before you blame a white guy for every hassle in your life.
As a sidebar my grandparents on both sides came from europe in the early 1900's. They suffered discrimination for talking a form of german. Segregated communities their own church and their own social circle. Sound familiar?
Black family life was restructured from the time Blacks were brought here. Families were destroyed, family members sent far and wide never to see each other again. Children were ripped from their mother's breast to be sold. That the sort of restructuring you had in mind?
Black communities that accumulated wealth were destroyed by rampaging whites. The history of this nation was dotted by such incidents. Study that. Black communities were redlined since the 30's, do you know what that means. They were denied financial services that other communities take for granted. How do businesses thrive when you can't get loans and insurance simply because there is one "minority" living on the block? One was all it took for the redlines to appear.
Black families do thrive and prosper in spite of the incredible barriers put up against them. As for your grandparents, did they have Black skin? Hell, what wave of Euro immigrants has ever been economically discriminated against? Black people were kept from employment and education throughout. We could not even play baseball, for crying out loud.
Do you realize how uninformed your statements are?
Who tells Black children to move on? What, precisely, do you mean by that?
As a member of a 12 Step Program I understand the power of making amends;so crucial to the healing process.Wh
A lot of folks are whining about the government apologizing saying everybody connected is dead and no one left alive has any responsibility. How sad that our government has been petty and small like many of those making comments whining about this issue. My great grandmother died in 2000 at the age of 98. Her mother was born in 1863 on a plantation. My great-great-great grndmother died in 1915. My great great grandmother died in 1945. So if you wait long enough every one who was agrieved will die before justice is served. Since no one alive had anything to do with slavery why the anger at making sure that your government does the right thing. You can claim that the Civil War was enough, but that does nothing for those black slaves that lived and died prior to emancipation. I guess your empathy only extends to Obama if other white folks are dogging him. I don't need anything from any of you, but my ancestors who had to live and in some cases die as slaves are owed at least a token of respect and dignity from the country that calls itself "the land of the free and the home of the brave."
A bandaid does not heal, it protects a wound from getting dirt in it and becoming infected, but eventually you must rip the bandaid off, let the wound get some air and a scab, then the healing can began. Slavery is a historical fact, and is past history. It is a wound. An apology is a bandaid. Temporary relief. Until the Senate and All Americans show genuine respect for the U.S. Constitution, and all of it's citizen's, with their own actions being in agreement with their words, the wound will not receive the air needed to promote healing. Of course, their is a risk of infection, but more often a scab forms and the wound heals. But, a scab has been unable to form, because too many people keep pulling it off, people in authoritative positions have continued to use racism and nationalism to obtain and to hold on to power; people who misuse the freedom of speech to promote strife and division through mainstream media. Are Caucasians the only one to blame? No. Blacks in America, and other classified minorities should look at the Iranians and take note that this country should be held accountable to be as it pledges: One Nation (under God), Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for ALL.
An apology is not a bandaid. You are confused. In fact, your post makes no sense.
I don't know what TC2 is talking about, I thought your analogy was perfect. An apology is a band-aid it's a small fix to keep things fom getting worse so that actual healing can occur. Apologies matter to some people, the verbal acknowledgement means something.
nevermind the haters.
I go back to Whitley's comments about the slave trade among Africa itself. Yes, African chieftains sold their own people, often raiding other villages for the "black cargo". I have read and understood many of the dynamics of the slave trade, both in North America and in Europe and the UK. Despite the trials and tribulations of Black Americans enduring the indignities of slavery times and post-slavery times, I think all Black Americans should be very proud of what we have accomplished DESPITE the Reconstruction Era, Jim Crow Era and Civil Rights Era. We have endured and we helped build America brick by brick, log by log, and stone by stone. That is the proud legacy that all Black Americans should remember. Yes, during times in history, we were denied civil rights - but look how far we have come. And remember all the Abolitionists and the Quakers who stood steadfast in their desire for the Freedmen in America, often being killed in their fervor and committment to a free America. Unlike the Native American Indian who were parceled out onto their own reservations and still receive government aid based on their treaties, Black Americans received NOTHING and we are still here, STRIVING. Yes, it was a time in history that was a sad time. However, we must move and concentrate on the HERE and NOW.
The government's apology for slavery is a good thing that I can't believe has taken so long to arrive. As a white person, I've never understood the (white) people who invoke the tired, cliched phrases such as "African leaders cooperated in the slave trade" or "the Civil War wasn't really about slavery" to somehow rationalize (rather weakly) that the slave trade wasn't *that* immoral and oppressive. How can a person be so absurdly indignant that the government would apologize for something that was clearly so wrong? Why does that sting their pride so? This apology doesn't even get into the thorny brambles of arguable issues like affirmative action--we're only talking about acknowledging the sinfulness of slavery. Even if a person argues that the apology is "pointless," then what's the big deal in any case? It amazes me that people can be so indignant and defensive about this apology.
Hold on...I agree with most of what you're saying except the part about the Civil War.
The war was about economics and preserving the union to imply otherwise would be kidding yourself. Although some may not have liked slavery, the North was willing to turn a blind eye and collect the tariffs on exports produced by slaves. The aboloition of slavery was a moral justification and that's the horrible truth.
No, Africans did not sell their own. They sold their enemies, they sold people from other tribes. Africa is a continent of many peoples and countries and not all of those countries were involved in the slave trade.
This is not about Black people, it is about a country that cannot admit to its own history of chattel slavery that last longer than any other country. People reduced to a labor source. A nation that qualified freedom with an exception for those enslaved as 3/5 of a person.
Black people were/are defined by our ancestry, not our color. Laws were put into place that disinherited us from our white fathers; sold us away from our mothers and fathers; erased our historical connection and record; and reduced us to chattel.
This is about slavery in the nation. Slavery in America.
After Emancipation, Black codes replaced slave codes, and Jim Crow laws were put in place to enable states to continue the oppression of a people based on ancestry. The struggle was a legal one that went on for over 100 years. It was fought by Americans; coalitions of Americans that believed that America should and could be what it declared it was and had fought to be.
I am an American and the legacy of generations of Americans that contributed to this country.
With all due respect to the descendants of slaves, there is not a person alive on the planet today that was a slaveowner or a slave. 144 years later none of us had anything to do with those wrongs. I have no desire to "atone" for something that I certainly wasn't a part of. If Congress is going to apologize to people about slavery, then as a woman, I too expect "atonement" and "reparations" for my female ancestors for not being allowed to vote, own property (or anything else for that matter), have a safe, legal abortion, or be allowed in public without a male escort. The "atonement" list can go on forever, really. How does this help someone that wasn't directly affected? And isn't this also discrimination in that the government isn't apologizing for ALL it's prior misdeeds? (see above re: women's rights)
what do you think is the due respect of the decendants of slaves, or were you being cynical?
It not about you or your underlying anger at black folk. It's about American politicians finally standing up and apologizing to those folks that were forced to build the very buildings that they work in called the Capital and the White House among other trials and tribulations.
Not true, there are slaves in this country as we speak.
It is a sad commentary that slavery exists in the United States today.
I appreciate the fact that you just don't get it, and may even think that we should just get over it. I am curious as to whether you think the Jews should also get over the Holocaust (BTW there were also Blacks who were killed just like the Jews during the Holocaust, but it is never/rarely acknowledged) While slavery was abolished, its effects are still with us today, still impacts us generations later. Did you know that the US is still giving away millions to Israel because of the Holocaust in Germany? This country did not create that problem, yet we are still tossing money at it. Conversely, we can't even seem to repair the buildings that children are purportedly getting an education in. We can't seem to provide quality education to our youth or incentive to even stay in school, yet have no problem in warehousing our youth in prisons where they profit the privatized owners as basically slave labor. What I would like to see is a reparation in the form of fixing the broken education system, to create proactive reeducation program for youths up to age 21 who have been convicted of non-violent crimes, finding ways to change the paradigm that supports the stereotype of who African Americans are. And that's just a start...
Yes, I know and it makes me sick to see what's going on over there right now.
The US has been buying Israel's friendship for years and it's cost us dearly. I shudder to think about what would happen If we were to say, "hey guys we love you and everything but we need to re-visit this plan for 30 billion in aid over the next 10 years. We have some moral obligations at home and...yeah
Sounds simple right, they should understand. Right?
How can you be so indignant at a merely apology for something that was so clearly wrong and immoral? I don't understand the justification for your defensive attitude here. Of course, you then drag 'reparations' into the fray--well, reparations aren't the issue here today. The issue right now is solely about an acknowledgment that slavery was a grave violation of human rights and a betrayal of American values. As with most people who comment online, you don't want to argue about what is strictly on the table (the apology), you have to conflate the issue with a bunch of other things to confuse the debate. If you don't like the idea of reparations, fine, but take that up with people lobbying for reparations (well, maybe you might find another comment poster who is talking about reparations, but then you should post your comments in reply to that person). Don't equate this apology with reparations. That is a separate debate.
As for your argument that you should feel discriminated against as a woman because you don't have your own apology for past misdeeds against women: then why don't you lobby for such an apology instead of begrudging another group because they got their apology? That would make more sense.
Seriously, why are you so eager to downplay how bad slavery was? Who are you to be so outraged? Slavery was a pretty egregious thing--and racism has been an oppressive force in America even long after slavery was ended.
How far back do we go to apologize? Should the Italian government apologize for the Roman Empire? One of the largest slave states in the world? The Empire enslaved entire countries.
Why waste your time begging these questions? What is so bad about acknowledging the evils of slavery? Even if it is pointless, is it really that harmful? Is it really a grave injustice to have this apology? It probably didn't take that much time out of the Senates's day, either, so don't give that argument.
As for all your "clever" examples what other countries might have to apologize.
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