Slavery atonement resolution draws support

The “high profile” issues of 2007 include transportation, land use and taxes. But the 2007 General Assembly will also be asked to look at perhaps the highest profile issue in Virginia history — slavery.

Senator Henry Marsh has introduced Senate Joint Resolution 332, which asks that “the General Assembly hereby atone for the involuntary servitude of Africans and call for reconciliation among all Virginians.”

The idea of such a resolution is not new. Twelve years ago, the Southern Baptist Convention passed a historic resolution of a similar kind, stating that “we lament and repudiate historic acts of evil such as slavery from which we continue to reap a bitter harvest, and we recognize that the racism which yet plagues our culture today is inextricably tied to the past.”

Ida Hakim, chair of the national organization Caucasians United for Reparations and Emancipation, responded to Senator Marsh’s resolution by saying, “This resolution would be a welcome step forward by the State where U.S. slavery began. Apologies for African enslavement are long overdue and we support the efforts of Virginia lawmakers to bring awareness and move the country forward.”

Rain Burroughs, a Richmonder active in social justice movements, agreed with Hakim. “As a white Virginian, I recognize that Virginia’s history and our present cannot move forward until we face out history. Atonement of this kind would be symbolic, but it would be a powerful symbol. I will be working with people I know around Virginia to support Senator Marsh and this important resolution.”