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Queen urged to apologize for slavery
By UPI Staff
United Press International
April 30, 2007
LONDON (UPI) -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth is being urged to apologize for the slavery of Africans and the slaughter of American Indians when she visits Virginia this week.
The queen is to visit Virginia to mark the 400th anniversary of the first English settlement at Jamestown, the Times of London reported Sunday.
Africans were used as indentured servants in English settlements as early as 1619 and later were codified as chattel property under Virginia law.
The Virginia Legislature this year expressed profound regret for the enslavement of millions of Africans. Donald McEachin, a state legislator and descendant of slaves, hopes the queen will do the same. "Leaders and heads of state have a responsibility to set the tone," said McEachin.
In the ceremonies this week, the word "commemoration" will be used rather than "celebration" out of respect for the suffering of American Indians, who were attacked by English colonists.
During her visit, the queen also will meet with survivors of the Virginia Tech University massacre in Richmond, where 32 students and teachers were killed by a gunman on campus earlier this month.
Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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