Thread: NJ Lawmakers Consider Slavery Apology

NJ Lawmakers Consider Slavery Apology

TRENTON, N.J. -- New Jersey could become the first Northern state to apologize for slavery under a measure due for a legislative committee hearing this week.

"This is not too much to ask of the state of New Jersey," said Assemblyman William Payne, sponsor of the proposal. "All that is being requested of New Jersey is to say three simple words: 'We are sorry.'"

Legislators in Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia have issued formal apologies for slavery.

"If former Confederate states can take action like this, why can't a Northeast state like New Jersey?" asked Payne, a Democrat.

According to the proposal, New Jersey had one of the largest slave populations in the Northern colonies and was the last state in the Northeast to formally abolish slavery, not doing so until 1846. The state didn't ratify the constitutional amendment prohibiting slavery until January 1866, weeks after it became law, having rejected ratification in 1865.

Payne's measure is set for a hearing Thursday by the Assembly Appropriations Committee. It hasn't received Senate consideration. The legislative session expires Tuesday.

Some Republican lawmakers wonder if it would be relevant.

"Who living today is guilty of slave holding and thus capable of apologizing for the offense?" asked Assemblyman Richard Merkt. "And who living today is a former slave and thus capable of accepting the apology? So how is a real apology even remotely possible, much less meaningful, given the long absence of both oppressor and victim?"

Payne said an apology would comfort black residents, who make up 14.5 percent of New Jersey's 8.7 million residents.

It's proposed as a resolution, used to express the Legislature's opinion without requiring action by the governor.

No state has offered reparations to slave descendants, and New Jersey's measure says the resolution cannot be used in litigation.

http://www.newsmax.com/us/slavery_apolo ... 61208.html

Get ready for reparations

Let the black slave masters apologize now . If we can find their ancestors . Maybe go ask the muslims and BLACK Africans slave masters who sold them to us to give up some of that 'reperations in oil ?

Funny you never hear about the ones who originated the slave markets here in any new history books or Roots movies . You also ever hear any thank yous from the blacks whos relatives were rescued from slavery by the whites dead veteran relatives either .

We sure as hell didn't invent slavery but we were the first to abolish the evil act . Not that it is appreciated . Blacks still own their slaves today . Wonder why we don't hear more about it ?
How many white freedom fighters who died along side the blacks fighting for equal rights do you see on the walls of the NAACP or Black Panther officers ?

Reparations hell ! We have supported a whole lot of their ass's for 150 years now .

I'm tired of all this BS . I never owned a damn slave in my life but i did have some relatives who died to free the ungrateful 'victims'! I use to get into fights , [ I was a tomboy ] , with a couple ltitle racist in for calling them names . But no more or worse names than they called each other . Now my grandkids are the one being abused and not one takes up for them . If they fight back out come the race cards .

Also I want some of that damn oil money in the Middle East since my ancesters were in held in slavery and ran off their land by the Syrians and Arabs . That was just a couple thousand years ago, interest should be really up there by now .