Another view on the apology

Local, Norfolk, Politics, Virginia 2 Minutes

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.

Published

80 thoughts on “Another view on the apology”

  1. that you have no clue about what being black in America entails. VJP

    Ok, I thought we already established it was being an American born African American, desended from slaves, that was the issue?

    As being from India, Middle East, Asia, or New Immigrant from Africa didn’t count, beacuse they didn’t have ancestors in slavery for over 200 years in this country?

  3. Respect is earned not granted in an apology.

    Earn my respect by going after Hanover County for destroying your Heritage by desecrating your ancestors graves! Show me, Don’t tell me! If you didn’t know about when I called and asked for help the first time, even though WRIC and WWBT interviewed me and carried the story. NOW YOU DO.

    The current desecration is taking place at “Rutland” located at the intersection of US 301 and Atlee Rd, just north of I295 301 exit. Unanimous decision by the Hanover BOS, one being Black.

    http://www.savinggraves-us.org/va/pebblecreek/index.html

  5. If an apology is so meaningless, why are several people on this blog ranting and raving so much about it as if the Commonwealth would somehow be harmed by a few simple words? It must have some sort of “hot button” attraction for them.
    Fact #1: Racism is alive and well in the United States, as is homophobia, sexism, and the good Lord only knows what other forms of hate used to be sure that there are people below the haters in the social hierarchy.
    Fact #2: Virginia had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the twentieth century with regard to race relations. I am a 62-year-old white woman. I remember segregation as a child. I was a teacher in Amherst County in 1970 when a federal judge had to force integration of the schools. Heck, we even had THREE school systems. You see, the so-called “Issues,” who were Native Americans had to go to their school, while whites and blacks had separate school systems. What a ridiculous mess. What a terrible thing to inflict on children of all races.
    Fact #3: Having the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia say, “The state is sorry for all the horrors perpetrated as a result of a system of slavery,” will not harm any citizen of the state. The sun will rise the day after the vote. People will go about their business. All will be right with the Lord.
    The screamers need to lighten up. Them are disrespecting themselves with their tirades.

  7. Facts 1 and 2 are about the present and recent past. Those responsible should apologize to those harmed. But to apologize for something done by those long dead to others long dead makes no sense.

    If the G.A. wants to issue an apology for the crappy public schools that most Blacks are forced to attend, I’ll certainly support that!

  8. I repeat, having the Commonwealth of Virginia say, “This state is profoundly sorry for all acts of prejudice that flowed from the existence of the institution of slavery and the racism that flourished in part because of slavery,” will not hurt any citizen.
    Germany was able to apologize to the Jewish people for the horrors perpetrated by Nazism. The apology took place when there were Germans alive who had no part of that.
    The Catholic Church finally apologized for the anti-Semitism caused by preaching for generations that Jews were responsible for the crucifixion of Christ. That apology took place long after the church had stopped preaching that heresy. (Gee, I thought Christ’s sacrifice was God’s plan…)
    The United States could not apologize for the evils of slavery shortly after it was ended by the Civil War because the nation soon devised segregation and apartheid to keep Blacks citizens in another form of bondage.

  9. MB – January 22, 2007
    Why, on god’s green earth, would anyone want to “earn” the respect of a sad little hatemonger like you, Tom James?

    I’m curious, because I want to stop the descretion of Graves including Slave Graves, I am a hatemonger?

    Please, give me specific examples of how I am a hatemonger.

    Maybe the respect you would earn would be self-respect?

  10. And many Germans alive DID have a part in it.

    As for the Catholic Church’s apology, it was just as silly and worthless as that proposed by Virginia.

  11. Tom James, your site speaks for itself. And based on your site, I don’t have any belief that your opposition to the development that would encroach upon those graves is motivated by anything but self interest. I suspect that, if I dug around for a bit, I could probably find that interest, but I couldn’t stomach your site for that long. What a cesspool.

  13. That’s what I thought no specifics. And you don’t want to expend the effort necessary to support your accusations.

    It’s much easier to consider yourself helpless, and unable to achieve in life because your a victim of whatever.

    The only thing guaranteed in life is death. From day one it is a struggle to survive. If you chose to take the easy road and complain about everything that has supposedly been done to you, you have that right. On the other hand if you chose to take action and speak out about how many opportunities this Great nation of ours offers everyone, you also have that right.

    For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

    I am just asking those that continue to use the crutches, of hate, prejudice, racism, slavery, whatever, to throw them aside and rise up from whatever situation you find yourself.

    Continuing to let yourself and others portray you as avictim will do nothing but hold you down and alienate you from those that could truley help you achieve your potential.

    It’s a free country and the choice is yours. The enjoy the most freedom of any nation in the world right here. If you can’t make it here, who’s fault is it?

  14. For the benefit of others, some quick quotes, and then you’re kill-filed:

    How many Virginians have wondered since 9/11 how prudent it is to have so many doctors, and personnel in charge, that are of Mid-East descent, and have trouble speaking, and understanding English, in a State Hospital, MCV?

    What better place to control, in order to have access to so many controlled substances, haz-mat, radioactive materials, etc. And the ability to spread biological warfare weapons to a large population. HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

    or

    I don’t see the majority of African Americans wanting to go back to the poverty, suffering, and present day slavery of the motherland.

    And all races and peoples have been slaves at some point in world history, so, African Americans hold no special place in “that” relam of human autrocities

    And those are just the more coherent sentences you managed to string together, to say nothing of the reprinted tripe you seem to endorse.

    In any event, done with you.

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