Congressional lament for slavery

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday issued an apology to black Americans for the wrongs committed against us and our ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow segregation laws.

"Today represents a milestone in our nation's efforts to remedy the ills of our past," said Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich., chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Tennessee Democrat Steve Cohen, who is facing a tough black challenger in a re-election primary next week, was the principal sponsor of the resolution. I wonder if Cohen will win re-election now in his mostly black district back in Tennessee?

In the resolution, the House "apologizes to African-Americans on behalf of the people of the United States, for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow."

"Slavery and Jim Crow are stains upon what is the greatest nation on the face of the earth," Cohen laments. It is important for our nation's healing that we have "a resolution as we have before us today where we face up to our mistakes and apologize as anyone should apologize for things that were done in the past that were wrong."

The House also committed to "rectifying the lingering consequences of slavery and Jim Crow and to stopping future human rights violations." What does it mean by "rectify?" What are the "lingering consequences" of slavery and Jim Crow? How long are the lingering consequences expected to linger?

One section of House Resolution 194 laments:

Whereas the system of slavery and the visceral racism against persons of African descent upon which it depended became entrenched in the Nation's social fabric;

Whereas slavery was not officially abolished until the passage of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1865 after the end of the Civil War;

Whereas after emancipation from 246 years of slavery, African-Americans soon saw the fleeting political, social, and economic gains they made during Reconstruction eviscerated by virulent racism, lynchings, disenfranchisement, Black Codes, and racial segregation laws that imposed a rigid system of officially sanctioned racial segregation in virtually all areas of life;

Whereas the system of de jure racial segregation known as `Jim Crow,' which arose in certain parts of the Nation following the Civil War to create separate and unequal societies for whites and African-Americans, was a direct result of the racism against persons of African descent engendered by slavery;

Ok, so now what? Now that those who object that government never apologized for slavery got their wish, will we be able to move on? The resolution did not mention reparations but I'm sure that some will soon push for that because the resolution used the word "rectify." Some have argued that this type of apology reminds of Nehemiah 9:2, "Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers." My guess is that for many black activists and guilt-ridden whites this resolution will still not be enough.