White House Apologizes For Slavery; Rappers React!!!!!!!

by **J The Kidd** Fri Aug 01, 2008 4:07 pm

On July 29 the House of Representatives issued a formal apology to
Black America for the atrocities committed against them and their
ancestors during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and Jim Crow
segregation laws.

Tennessee Democrat Steve Cohen created the vote as one of his first actions as a new congressman in 2007.

The resolution was introduced after Cohen found out the Senate would not be able to do a joint resolution.

Cohen also made history as the first white lawmaker to represent a
majority black district (Memphis) in over 30 years, and is also
Tennessee’s first Jewish Congressman.

“Slavery and Jim Crow are stains upon what is the greatest nation on
the face of the earth,” Cohen explained to the Associated Press. “Part
of forming a more perfect union is such a resolution as we have before
us today where we face up to our mistakes and apologize as anyone
should apologize for things that were done in the past that were wrong.”

The resolution, while not speaking about reparations, acknowledges the
responsibility of government in correcting the “lingering consequences
of the misdeeds committed against slaves under slavery and Jim Crow.”

For Russell Simmons, who actively campaigned for reparations for Black America, the resolution is a step in the right direction.

“It’s just another statement that America is changing,” Simmons told
AllHipHop.com. “It has changed enough to accept the fact that it is
impossible to fully heal without acknowledging the past.”

The resolution also explains that slaves under the slave trade “were
brutalized, humiliated, dehumanized and subjected to the indignity of
being stripped of their names and heritage.”

The resolution ends with a formal apology, stating the House
“apologizes to Black America on behalf of the people of United States,
for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered
under slavery and Jim Crow.”

Outspoken Atlanta rapper Killer Mike proposed his own interesting alternative to monetary reparations for slavery.

“When they start talking about reparations, let's not make it about the
money,” outspoken rapper Killer Mike told AllHipHop.com. “Let's make it
education based. I think every Black person in America should be able
to go to college for free. I think they should have eight years to go
after their Bachelor's, Master's, whatever they can get in those 8
years. And the reason why I say 8 is that some of those people are
gonna be single parents [for example], and so I think they should have
twice the amount of time the average kid in college takes. And for
those people that's too old or already got a degree, they should get a
tax break for a certain amount of years.”

Cohen felt that with only five states formally apologizing for the
atrocities enacted on Black America peoples, it was long overdue for
Congress to acknowledge its role in creating laws that oppressed its
own citizens.

Rapper Immortal Techinque agreed with Cohen that the apology was a long time coming.

“I believe that this apology is way over due and it was just done
strategically at a time when Congress is at an incredibly low approval
rating,” Immortal Technique told AllHipHop.com. “I think its a step in
the right direction, but since slavery without a doubt built up the
capital for capitalism, there needs to be a discussion in Congress
about some sort of reparations. That and the social, religious and
educational mechanisms that facilitated the justification for slavery
and the modern form of racism, that was born from it."

Cohen is scheduled to defend his seat in an August 7 primary.