Posted by
NOTLEGALROADKILLYET on Sunday, February 25, 2007 12:06:28 AM
Jefferson Davis would doubtless turn over in his grave to know that the Virginia House and Senate both voted unanimously to express "profound regret" for the state's role in slavery. Let him turn.
"This session will be remembered for a lot of things, but 20 years hence I suspect one of those things will be the fact that we came together and passed this resolution," said Delegate A. Donald McEachin, a Democrat who sponsored [the legislation] in the House of Delegates, the Denver Post reports.
The measure also expressed regret for "the exploitation of Native Americans." The resolution was introduced as Virginia begins its celebration of the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, where the first Africans arrived in 1619. Richmond, home to a popular boulevard lined with statues of Confederate heroes, later became another point of arrival for Africans and a slave-trade hub.
I'm not usually one for apologies, but this one seems appropriate. Hats off to Virginia.