Boston’s City Council is apologizing for slavery and Boston’s role in it in its flourishing centuries past.
“When a harm is done, the first step is to acknowledge the harm and to apologize for the fact that this hasn’t been done and yet, yet it at the municipal level is stunning to me,” City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, who was introducing the resolution on Wednesday with Councilors Ruthzee Louijeune and Kendra Lara.
All 12 members present voted in favor of passing the resolution, which is a non-binding expression of will from the body and not a law in itself.
The title of the resolution was the “Resolution to Acknowledge, Condemn and Apologize for the Role Played by the City of Boston in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and the Ongoing Detrimental Impacts Experienced by the Black People of Boston.”
With the resolution, the council “expresses its deepest and most sincere apology for the city’s connection and responsibility in the transatlantic slave trade, the death, misery, and deprivation that this practice caused” and pledges to remove “prominent anti-Black symbols in Boston,” and teach how slavery “impacted Boston’s past and present systems of oppression.” The council through the resolution also moves to create a “registry of truth and reconciliation so that Bostonians who wish to express regret for past injustices can express their remorse” and pass policies that “repair past and present harm done to Black Americans via systemic racism.”
Massachusetts outlawed owning slaves with its constitution in 1780, but it did serve as a busy port in the “triangle trade” of routes between America, the United Kingdom and African nations. The U.S. federally outlawed slavery in 1865 following the Civil War.
Multiple councilors spoke in favor of it: Fernandes Anderson, Lara, Louijeune, Ricardo Arroyo, Julia Mejia, Kenzie Bok and City Council President Ed Flynn.
“We definitely will not heal the wound if we don’t admit the knife is there,” Lara said.
City Councilor Frank Baker, perhaps the council’s most conservative member, said he is “uneasy” about apologizing for the actions of other people so long ago, but added, “but II think if my words can help your community heal and our community in Boston heal, and then I’m absolutely in favor of this.”
The council separately has raised the possibility of reparations for slavery, but there’s no proposal at this point to move on that.
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I didn’t realize they were still trading slaves.
Now, if this is yet another one of those PR stunt apologies that should have been made by the original offenders—YAWN.
woke guilt is killing this country.
AND Note, its only WHITES being forced to apologize.. Never their own countrymen who SOLD THEM into slavery, or the muslim slave traders, to whom they were SOLD too..
What???? How long ago was that? Hey Boston City Council – address real issues that impact people’s lives, the economy, society. Stop being so dumb and woke.
what a quivering group suck up–
Is there a single SPINE amongst them all?
Since there appears to be no time limit on apologizing for the slave trade, it’s time to remember there were other slave’s besides black people.
The Jews need an apology and reciprocity from Egypt until the time of the Exodus. The Roman coliseum was built by slaves from as far away as Ireland! What about those who were forced into building the great wall of China? That project wiped out an entire generation of people.
It may be hard for some people to believe but there were other slaves besides blacks.
ASK them, and the left will say “THOSE don’t count!”
are they just sorry that slaves were brought to this country whose descendants are disproportionately responsible for over half violent crimes?
While this comes as religious, it should be noted that it equally applies to all men ans women, yep I said it, men and women ; “I am not my brothers keeper” so those now living should not have to apologize for what happened hundred of years ago/ done by some not related or if related, am not like them.
Massachusetts upon claiming statehood banned slavery after interpreting its Bill of Rights as doing that. Massachusetts was sheltering escaped slaves from the Fugitive Slave Law. Massachusetts sent men to fight for the Union against the Confederacy. Now, some want to apologize for being descendants of people who lived centuries ago in Massachusetts or of people who lived with others at the time. Many in that state are not even descended from anyone there at the time. The politics of this is appalling.
just thinking…… will there be any formal apologies to the Irish and Italians who were subject to “need not apply” signs for employment? They tried to make a living but not hired due to their ethnicity. Black slaves were fully employed with room and board provided.
Like always, HELLZZZ no.