Va apologizes for slavery...

**Slobber Knocker** · February 26th, 2007, 05:06 PM

I want my parents to apologize for all the "slave" labor I had to indure when I lived at home. We had a tobacco field not to mention the regular garden and believe me when there are 3 boys in the family....jeez the potatoes we had to hoe. So mom and dad.....apologize!!
Just kidding. You know, this part of Va. along with West Va. never had that many slaves or if any to begin with. The people from this area did not believe in slavery and believed in doing their own work. That is why West Va. split. (Thank God!)
My feelings....we do not have to apologize for anything! That happened over 144 years agao and I had nothing to do with any of that. So why should I apologize for something I had no control over. Let those people on those plantations on the James River worry about that crap!
I also wonder how much of out tax dollars were used for this proclamation? Waste if you ask me!

**PVVikeFan** · February 26th, 2007, 03:14 PM

[ QUOTE ]
va became the first state to formally apologize for slavery. thoughts???

[/ QUOTE ]

Did anyone alive today have anything at all to do with slavery? So what is the point of an appology for something somebody else did over 100 years ago? [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] Makes no sense to me.

February 26th, 2007, 05:45 PM

These were all in the university newspaper. They're pretty interesting.

This is a good article (written by a minority) discussing the issue.

http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArtic...9&pid=1535

A little less tempered in opposition to the apology: http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArtic...35&pid=559

Provides a nice overview of the differing points:

http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArtic...5&pid=1526

**imported_trumpet1988** · February 26th, 2007, 08:07 PM

Well we should admit that we were wrong in slavery.

But how do the effects of slavery continue to influence black people? I mean I don't know what it's like to have my family sold into slavery. The majority of us are not promoting slavery and we acknowledge that it happened and that it was wrong. And we know there is still racism.

I mean, look at Rome. The Romans used to persecute Christians quite often. That was nearly 1500 or so years ago. I don't see any Italians trying to feed me or my other fellow Christians to lions. They should acknowledge that it happened, but if I lived in Italy I wouldn't go around demanding affirmative action from employers because I'm a Christian.

The British should acknowledge some of the junk they put the Indians through when they barged in over here. I'm part Cherokee. I'm not gonna go around demanding every British person do something to repay me because of how they treated my ancestors.

My point is, while opressors' descendants should acknowledge that their ancestors were wrong, the opressees' descendants should learn forgiveness.

As conservative as I am, I do think VA did the right thing by at least acknowledging that they were wrong. But things such as demanding people to repay you for what their ancestors did to your's is only going to cause more racism.

Like I said before, I'm not going to go to some Italian person and start assuming that I'll be fed to the lions and start demanding to be repayed for the way they treated my fellow Christians nearly 1500 years ago.

We are just going to have to learn to forgive.

**sup-rbeast** · February 26th, 2007, 08:16 PM

Tell me trumpet...how were "we" wrong?...Were you walkin the earth back in 1860 ? "We" don't take credit for sailing to the New World. "We" don't take credit for establishing this country. "We" don't take credit for settling the frontier clear to the Pacific. So, How were "we" wrong in slavery. Maybe the folks that lived then were wrong. But it's not an institution of our lifetime, so "we" owe no one anything.

**Shoe** · February 26th, 2007, 08:18 PM

Hell my ancestors counted afford slaves even if they wanted too. They came from Ireland because that [censored] potatoe famine (sp). Also I think if we are going to say sorry, my bad, to one race then we might as well say sorry to all races.

**plantsman** · February 26th, 2007, 08:39 PM

Good articles all three. These students write better, and more concisely and thoughtfully than a majority of the editorialists in the stable of most mainstream newspapers. Thanks for posting these.

**NotSoSilentBob** · February 26th, 2007, 09:36 PM

Just something else to keep the race baiters in business.

**swvacsas** · February 26th, 2007, 09:40 PM

I am a descendent of slaveholders. I am also a descendent of indentured servants and of transported criminals. I feel no compulsion to apologize for any of them. The culture in which they lived did not regard slavery with the same degree of repugnance that is now attached to it. Virtually all of the cultures of West Africa at the time of the slave trade practised some form of slavery- so did much of Europe. It does not bother me that the General Assembly passed a resolution condemning the practice as long as due respect is shown for all periods of Virginia history- something which has not been done of late- witness the SCV licence plate. Attempts to ban a flag my ancestors fought under in the name of political correctness are vile and uncalled for. I would support a dead skunk for political office before I would support a politician or educator who banned the display of Confederate battle flag

**starbuck** · February 26th, 2007, 10:11 PM

anyone see the story in the Kingsport paper today about the lost side or the lost stories of slavery? It was about Black slave owners. pretty interesting, it focused on one family mostly.
well, it could have been yesterdays paper. I read both today