Never too late for an apology

June 27, 11:29 PMLA Race and Ethnicity ExaminerJulian Wilson

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Battered and torn, but we can still make it right.

     On June 18, 2009, the U.S. Senate officially issued an apology to people of African descent living in this country for the atrocities of American slavery and the inhumanity of Jim Crow laws.

Thousands of lives were lost as a result of the illicit slave trade, and the bloody Civil War that ended slavery.  Our government did what was right, and formally acknowledged this dark time in our nation's history by issuing the apology.

Apologies can be difficult to make at times, and this one was no exception.  This apology was 150 years in the making, and was delivered by a governing body whose direct involvement in the history of slavery was nonexistent.  Making this apology even more awkward is the fact that the apology was given to a group of people who have no first-hand experience with the dehumanizing events that characterized American slavery.

Question:  Have you ever received an apology from a relative, friend, or associate who was apologizing to you for something that someone else did to someone else?  Were you able to accept the apology?   

This by far was one of the most difficult apologies that anyone has ever made; however, an apology from the U.S. government to the citizens of this nation for its primary role in the history of slavery was necessary as we continue to heal this land of the scars left by our country's disturbing past.

The reparations debate

There has been an ongoing debate in this country for years over whether or not the government should give some sort of cash payment or other financial benefit to the descendants of slaves as compensation for the suffering caused by slavery.  One of the primary factors fueling this debate is international law.

In 1993, a report was submitted to the United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities (revised principles and guidelines were submitted in 1996) by Professor Theo Van Boven of Maastricht University, Netherlands.  In his report, Van Boven concluded that:

"In accordance with international law, states have the duty to adopt special measures, where necessary, to permit expeditious and fully effective reparations.  Reparations shall render justice by removing or redressing the consequences of the wrongful acts and by preventing and deterring violations.  Reparations should be proportionate to the gravity of the violations and the resulting damage, and shall include restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, and guarantees of non-repetition."

"Successive governments are bound by the responsibility incurred by previous governments for wrongful acts committed and not redressed."

Another factor fueling the debate is the fact that reparations have been paid to other ethnic minority groups (who suffered through gross human rights violations) in accordance with the guidelines set fourth in international law.

The offering and/or payment of reparations for slavery by our government will continue to be a hotly debated topic in this country until the debating parties agree that something inevitably has to be done to bring closure to this issue and allow our nation to continue moving forward as the world's leader of truth, fairness, equality, and justice.

Reparations could further strain race relations

As we steadily move closer to the possibility of reparations being offered to Black Americans as compensation for the suffering caused by slavery, people on both sides of the debate are "up in arms" over what course of action would be most appropriate for resolving this issue.  The passage of time, coupled with the daunting task of figuring out where the money will come from, has many people concerned that not only will we be (unfairly) charged or taxed to pay the reparations, but that the enormous payments (estimated to top out at $4.1 trillion) may hinder our ability to recover from our ever-burgeoning economic crisis.

Individuals, groups, organizations, and corporations that are force to pay into a government-based reparations plan may reluctantly pay or resist paying altogether (viewing the payments as punishment) and instead respond by directing their disfavor for the reparations toward Black people.  in result, tensions begin to rise, wounds are reopened, and the work that has been done to facilitate the improvement of race relations in America suffers a devastating setback. 

Whether you are Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Filipino, or Indian, we have all suffered from the numerous human rights violations and abuses that have been inflicted upon people (by other people) throughout the history of our world.  Today, all of us are plagued with the memories of these abuses, as we continue to witness the occurrence of a seemingly never-ending cycle of human rights violations being committed around the clock.

All of us are victims, and we have all been deeply hurt by the images left behind that represent the history of American slavery.  We are all in desperate need of healing.

We must prepare ourselves for the solution that will end the reparations debate and allow us to move forward together as a strong and diverse nation.   The "birth of mankind" was the birth of us all, and ultimately we will all be involved in (and impacted by) the solution that is chosen, developed, and implemented. 

We must ensure that the solution rendered is universal, and that it addresses the needs of both sides (Black and White).  This, in turn, should help promote a deeper understanding amongst all races, and create an environment of unity and "oneness" that transcends all racial lines.