So, I'm going scouring CNN this morning and I come across a video entitled, "Senate Apologizes to Native Americans". I was taken aback, if only for comical reasons. I'm sorry, but if it takes this long to apologize for genocide, it can't really be taken seriously. And that's not to say that an apology shouldn't be made- I just think that those making this. . . admission of guilt need understand that it's an apology merely out of principle.
Mass grave in Wound Knee, South Dakota
The bill in play here is S.J.RES.4, which was introduced by Arkansas Senator Sam Brownback(R). The page for the bill describes it as "a joint resolution to acknowledge a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies by the United States Government regarding Indian tribes and offer an apology to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States." All this comes only about two weeks after Austrailia apologized to it's own aboriginal population. And another interesting side note in the video is that the U.S. government has already apologized to Japanese-Americans and Hawaiians.
I'm not going to upset myself this morning trying to understand why there still is not formal apology to African-Americans over that little slavery incident some years ago(note sarcasm). I'm just going to try and think positive thoughts.
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Mass grave in Wound Knee, South DakotaThe bill in play here is S.J.RES.4, which was introduced by Arkansas Senator Sam Brownback(R). The page for the bill describes it as "a joint resolution to acknowledge a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies by the United States Government regarding Indian tribes and offer an apology to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States." All this comes only about two weeks after Austrailia apologized to it's own aboriginal population. And another interesting side note in the video is that the U.S. government has already apologized to Japanese-Americans and Hawaiians.
I'm not going to upset myself this morning trying to understand why there still is not formal apology to African-Americans over that little slavery incident some years ago(note sarcasm). I'm just going to try and think positive thoughts.
(You do not have to be a member of Blogger to comment. Choose 'other' or 'anonymous' when your identification is asked for.)
How do people who were not directly involved in a situation, apologize to people who were also not involved with a situation?
ReplyDeleteNone the less the history books say slavery was abolished BEFORE the American Indians were done getting slaughtered...
This is not about "people" as much as it is about "organizations". An organization(in this case, the U.S.) was built off the backs of enslaved Africans(as well as Native American genocides). The organization is apologizing for something it has done wrong. I'm not asking for anyone today to apologize for something THEY did- but if they are apart of an organization that has thrived off an injustice, it should be duly noted.
ReplyDeleteAnd what is the relevance of your second point?
Well, I feel as though for them to apologize for everyone else is just rude and inconsiderate considering that African Americans has played a giant role in the form of equality in the U.S
ReplyDeleteSorry, but that picture gives me the creeps...
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope every last one of those rednecks were soaked in gasoline and thrown in hell...sorry again, lol.
ReplyDeleteI recently saw this same story as well the other day. I did not hear about Austrailia apologizing to the Aboriginal population. Although I do not want to take away for the small bit of merit behind this apology (the fact that they would even think to this is a positive step), I also feel that the apology is extremely hollow. Yes, the US government as an organization is receiving atonement (in their eyes) for all their previous wrongdoings, but does it really change anything? So far the government has apologized to Japanese-Americans ofr WWII camps (the apology included a payment to survivors), native Hawaiians for overthrowing their government and claiming their land for America, and they apologized for the lack of anti-lynching legislation.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question about why an official apology hasn't been issued to the African American population, there is one in progress. The same senators who initated this apology to Native Americans are behind the legislation to apology to African Americans. This idea has only become a reality because five states have managed to do it before the federal government (VA, MD, AL, NC, and NJ). The hesitancy is whether or not such an apology will open the door for a heated reparations debate. But I think that the government is just going to have to suffer with results. An apology, although hollow, is better than no admittance of wrong doing.
I mean the fact that they took the step to admit that the All Mightly, Great, and always Right United States of America was wrong about anything is a good thing and everything. My only issue with this is at the end of the day what does it matter that they choose to apologize to the native americans or even to the african americans. I would almost take it as an insultif the United States would come out and apologize for slavery..saying something that the rest of the world already knew would be pointless to me.
ReplyDeleteI think that America believes that they have apologized to us, in their weird way... Through the Constitution; unlike the Japanese and Native Americans, we have Amendments that were "specifically" written for all men suffrage, ending slavery... blah blah blah... and as long as those are in place, we will NEVER get an apology..
ReplyDeleteIf they really mean to apologize, how about backing it up with removing Andrew Jackson from the $20 bill? He was responsible for the Indian Removal Act, which forced thousands of Native Americans to walk hundreds of miles on the Trail of Tears. Saying sorry doesn't mean anything if they continue to print this man, who is offensive to many American Indians, on the $20 bill.
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ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this article. I will have to take a look into this apology to native Americans.
ReplyDelete