Yankee Apology

On this January 3rd, New Jersey became the first state north of the Mason-Dixon line to proclaim its official regret for perpetuating the institution of slavery.

The Assembly Appropriations Committee reports favorably Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 270.
This concurrent resolution issues a formal apology on behalf of the State of New Jersey for its role in sustaining and perpetuating the institution of slavery, and expresses the State's deepest sympathies and profound regrets to the thousands of slaves and the descendants of those enslaved, who were denied life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness while in bondage.
In tracing the history of slavery and its legacy of inequality from the founding of the Republic to the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and 60s, the concurrent resolution acknowledges the injustices, the broken promises and the blank checks that have never come to fruition. It calls upon the residents of this State to learn about and gain a deeper understanding of the history of slavery, the legacy of de facto and de jure segregation, and the existence of modern day slavery to ensure that these tragedies will not be forgotten and will not be repeated.

• The push is on again this year, the Georgia NAACP's list of 2008 goals includes the extraction of an official apology from the state for its participation in and defense of slavery.
• On this topic our governor has already spoken and proclaimed his resistance. The lack of an achievable goal will not deter the annual complaint that has no purpose other than to perpetuate the myth that blacks deserve pity from the citizens. Pity that takes form as government pandering and vote purchasing.
• New Jersey apologizing for slavery was well intentioned, possibly having an objective of increasing pressure on southern states to apologize.
• Through the period of creation of the Constitution, there were slave owners in the state of New Jersey. This is not mentioned in the apology, because it lacks a connection to historical fact. This is not an apology at all, it is a statement of empathy. At the creation of of our nation, New Jersey became part of the greater world community that rejected slavery. During the Civil War, thousands of the state's citizens died maintaining the union and in part, abolition of slavery. Where is the appreciation for those acts of sacrifice?
• What New Jersey should be apologizing for is for being the nastiest state on the east coast.
• February is coming, time to get ready for Black History Month.