The two legislative chambers of the Commonwealth of Virginia have recently passed an apology for slavery, “after 400 years,”writes the British Guardian.
“Isn’t that nice,”writes Walter Williams, a descendant of slaves. Now that we are in the apology business how about apologies for the millions killed by the Soviet Union, by Mao’s China, and so on?
And more to the point, how about getting a bit closer to home, apologizing for the mess in Virginia?
Did you know, for instance, that Richmond, Virginia, is “the city with the third-highest murder rate in the nation, according to a 2005 FBI report?”
Did you know that in Virginia:
black education is a disgrace. In 2003, 51 percent of black eighth-graders scored below basic; 49 percent at or above basic; of these, only 11 percent scored proficient.
“Below basic” means what it seems to mean. Illiterate.
As a descendant of slaves, Williams reckons that the apology for slavery is a “cheap insult.”
The next time the Virginia General Assembly gets into an apologetic mood and wants to pass another resolution aimed at its black citizens, here are my suggestions: The Commonwealth of Virginia apologizes to its black citizens for not protecting them from criminals who prey upon them and make their lives a daily nightmare. The Commonwealth also apologizes for our government-sanctioned school system that delivers fraudulent education, thereby consigning many of its black citizens to the bottom rungs of the economic ladder.
Now we’re talking.
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