I received the following via email from Pat Morton, a long-time resident of Norfolk. With her permission, I share her perspective with you.
I have lots of stuff going on in my head about this. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this, but at 54 years old I am old enough to remember the “white” and the “colored” bathrooms at Ames & Brownley’s downtown, along with the water fountains for that matter. I saw the bathrooms when I was with my grandmother, I couldn’t have been more than 6 years old, if that old. I wanted to go to the “colored” bathroom because if it was “colored” it was surely more fun than just plain. I’m sure I mortified her when I made a fuss about it.
I also remember not being allowed to sit at the back of the bus – I wanted to sit on the long bench seat at the very back and look out the back window, but my mother wouldn’t let me, the white people didn’t sit back there. Again I was 6 or younger I’m thinking.
I remember when I moved to Colonial Place in 1976 or so my great-uncle having some awful things to say about the mixed neighborhood.
I remember horrible racial things happening at Blair, but then they all got better at Maury. Not perfect, but really a lot better and I was naïve enough to believe that things were finally going to be okay. That was 1968-1970. Hah.
I have never, ever understood any of it. Obviously I have nowhere near a black person’s perspective on any of this, but I can tell you I have been as hurt as any white person can be by all of it and I will never understand how these white people cannot grasp at least a part of this.
Apologize for slavery? Hell, yes. If it wasn’t for slavery, none of the things that offended me – and offended every single black person, which goes without saying – would have ever happened. It doesn’t matter that no one alive today was or had slaves, what matters is the things I’ve experienced in my lifetime that were a result of it and, WAY more importantly, the things blacks have experienced and continue to experience. What in the hell is it about a freakin’ APOLOGY that could be wrong??
Thanks, Pat. You obviously get it.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Thanks for posting this Vivian. I sent an expanded version of it to Kerry Dougherty in appreciation of her column.
That is exact the point! Why an apology now?
Is it because Donald McEachin is running for office and needs the attention he knew this would bring?
Is it to try and demonize today’s white southerners?
Is it to keep the division among less preceptive whites and blacks alive?
Is it some type of ground work being laid to ask for reparations?
Picking scabs and digging up bones usually never serves any positive purpose.
Where was McEachin and the Richmond Black Community when I was asking for their support to put up opposition at the Hanover Board of Supervisors meeting to approve or disapprove the construction of Rutland, by HHHunt, on the Timberlake Farm where there WAS a huge slave cemetery, along with family, children, and soldiers graves.
I wrote to everyone in Richmond and the country who might remotely have an interest. I posted on websites and my blog. No one showed but a professor at Randolph Macon in Ashland VA, both of us white! Where were all these great black leaders now making such a big deal about a worthless apology?
Show me you care about your ancestors, and heritage by protesting to preserving it. Show me your tired of being exploited by the democrats through government dependency in return for your vote. Show respect to others and yourself.
Only then will people take you seriously and not suspect alterior motives. But, by then, you will too busy taking care of and raising your children. Too busy, making a living, educating, and developing yourself, to care about a stupid apology.
I guarantee I was abused and discriminated as any black person growing up around ignorant people. My ancestors were as abused, tortured, and murdered as any slave. More recently than 140 years ago! Who is going to apologize, and what would it mean. No one and nothing!
Please stop trying to divide people so you can have political power. “United we stand divided we fall.”
Take positive steps to uplift black people and give them self-respect, hope, and a future.
Martin Luther King day, “A day of service, not a Day OFF.”
Pat, I have a couple questions for you. If I lied to you, would you expect me to apologize for it or someone else? Can you tell me what an apology means when it is given from someone who had nothing to do with the offense? Of course slavery was, and is, bad, but will an apology really put people’s minds at rest, or will it be used in the future as a sort of guilt trip and blackmail?
As a 23 year old, I can certainly say I have never seen any of those things in person. To me, the U.S. has always been a melting pot. I do not base my opinion of a person based on race. Why should I apologize? And before you say anything, yes that is what I meant. By expecting the state to apologize, one is really saying those the state represents need to apologize.
When does it end? Millions of men and women died on both sides with the end of slavery a result. Thousands of laws across the nation have ensured that equal rights will be the rule. Affirmative action has tried to make up for what happened in the past. These (except for the continued use of affirmative action) are all great and important things, but if setting things right and consistently stating the mistakes of the past does not count as a full apology, then I do not expect that even an apology could be enough.
Maybe if you study this website, those of you in favor of the apology will see what an injustice you are doing to youselves and your fellow Virginians and Americans.
http://www.axt.org.uk/
I guess both of y’all missed the fact that Pat is white.
Tom James – I’m not following anything you are saying; I’m not sure you are responding at all to what I said. However, the main thing that strikes me is that old adage “two wrongs do not make a right” – not sure what happened to you, but whatever it was doesn’t mean that bad things happening to others is okay.
Twenty-three-year-old, the same holds true. No one asked you to apologize so do us all a favor and shut up, okay? This commonwealth (not STATE, where did you go to school?) has treated a segment of our population horribly for a number of years. Okay fine, you weren’t part of that if you say so, but the majority of the constituents of this commonwealth WERE.
So understand that things have happened before you arrived on this scene that folks know more about than you do. And they were horribly offensive.
I didn’t miss it VJP. And what in G_ds name does that have to do with anything. She’s another human, Virginian, and American. This is what I am offended by “she’s white.” Who cares but you and why?
I say asking for an apology from the people who are the “Commonwealth” TODAY is an injustice and an insult! Blacks born since the 1960’s, have had the same opportunities, rights, advantages/disadvatages I have had. I hated the ignorance of Virginians, both Black and White, so much after High School, I just wanted out of this state. I joined the military a real melting pot. I got out, went to school, got married, had kids, lived in various places all around OUR country.
I came back to Virginia because of responsibilities, not because I wanted to.
I find it extremely offensive to ask me a Citizen of “today’s Commonwealth” to appologize for something I had not a thing to do with and was a victim of myself. If you don’t like our “Commonwealth” do something to make positve change not create more injustice.
Okay, so that response was very rude all around, I am sorry.
It is obvious to me that neither of you have experienced what I have experienced, or else if you have you’ve been able to slough it off because you were not personally affected.
That is the attitude I’m trying to get at – I am a white person who CANNOT know what it feels like to be on the other end of this categorization-by-skin-color attitude that continues to be so pervasive in this society. I do not understand why “Tom James” and “CR UVA” cannot GET this!!
I am telling you both and anyone else listening that I am a white woman who has SEEN what our society has done to blacks. Why does this not matter to you? Why do you want to dismiss it because a) something else happened that (you think) was just as bad or b) you didn’t see it/do it, so therefore so what, it really doesn’t matter at all?
What the hell is wrong with you? You have no compassion, no concern for how we as a society treat our members?? Are you HUMAN? You aren’t really sounding like you are.
Oh boy. Let me just say that this last post of mine was before I saw Tom James’ last post.
“Blacks born since the 1960’s, have had the same opportunities, rights, advantages/disadvatages I have had.”
YOU COULDN’T BE MORE WRONG IF YOU SET OUT TO BE!!!
What the hell are you talking about?? I’ve lived in this world, in this country, in this commonwealth, in this community and worked in the federal government for-frikkin-ever and you are so completely wrong. Blacks start out with two strikes against them.
Live for just one week as a black man and come back and tell us if you still believe that garbage you just posted. Or as a black woman.
Either one – you will have entirely different experiences so why don’t you try both. Live one week as a black man and then one week as a black woman and then let us hear from you.
Until then shut up.
Tom – you referred over and over to “your ancestors” as if you were speaking to Pat, which is why it sounded like you missed the part about Pat being white.
Pat – once again, thanks for getting it. I wish blacks born since the 1960s had the same opportunities. It is painfully obvious that there are those who have no clue what it is like to be black in America. And for Tom to compare whatever he has been through as being the same as being black is not only insulting, it’s downright sad. As long as he can delude himself into thinking that is the case, the racism that our country continues to experience will never end.
Don’t thank me. I’m not doing anything that needs to be thanked, I’m just saying what reasonable, and let me emphasize REASONABLE, people observe about the state of our society.
All of us reasonable people need to rise up and shut these bigots down.
IMHO of course. 🙂
What gives you the right to tell us to shut up for stating our opinion? Are you trying to oppress us because our views are different and less worthy than yours?
And you just said you have no idea what is like to be black, so how do you know what it is or was like?
And what makes a person achieve great things in life. Self-pity? I can’t attitude? Give me, Give me, attitude?
Here are 2 hero’s and role models for All Americans born before 1960. Why don’t they share your views, they are black? Why don’t blacks and all Americans speak of and hold up these role models?
Booker T. Washington and Geroge Washington Carver, (Carver’s George)
http://carolinejustice.blogspot.com/2007/01/i-propose-monument.html
http://americancivilization.net/index.php?itemid=175
“Think about it. We went into slavery pagans, we came out Christians. We went into slavery pieces of property; we came out American citizens. We went into slavery with chains clanking on our wrists; we came out with American ballots in our hands.
When we rid ourselves of prejudice, or racial feeling, and look the facts in the face, we must acknowledge, notwithstanding the cruelty and moral wrong of slavery, we are in a stronger and more hopeful position, materially, intellectually, morally, religiously than is true for an equal number of black people on any other portion of the globe.” Booker T. Washington, a former Virginia slave.
How do you feel about the mayor of New Orleans comment “Chocolate Town?” Does that not offend you as an American?
Here we are talking about how bad things have been for Blacks since the 60’s, but the apology is for something that ended 100 years before that. How inane.
Yes, there would probably not have been segregation w/o slavery before it, because there would have been very few Blacks here. No matter how hard it is to be Black in the U.S.A., it’s a hell of a lot harder to be Black in Africa.
People from India have dark skin and they seem to be able to achieve great things in this country.
People from the Middle East have dark skin they also seem to be able to achieve geat things in this country.
Asians are wealthy and achieving. Homosexuals are the wealthiest minority.
New immigrants from Africa also are doing well in this country and I’ve seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears what they think about some American born Blacks.
So why is it American born blacks can’t get past the past and take advatage of all the opportunities this country affords them? Why do all other Americans need to give SOME of them special treatment because they are Black? And Apologize?
Answer these questions and “Today’s Commonwealth” has nothing to appologize for. If you think Virginia is bad, try MS, LA, AK. There is where many Americans have a case for injustice and corruption today!