Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
I’m all for apologies. When they mean something. Usually, they’re most effective when issued to the offended party as soon as possible after the offense. The more time goes by, the more an apology morphs into something else. Like a move to make the issuer of the apology feel better, rather than the person or party hurt. Or like a cheap PR stunt.
So that brings us to a couple of recent apologies that make me sick to my stomach. Today, USA Today reports that the U.S. Senate will apologize this coming Monday for not stopping lynchings, a horrible crime that took the lives of 4,742 people from 1882 to 1968. Most of those who died were black.
The Senate resolution says that nearly 200 anti-lynching bills were introduced in the first half of the 20th century and that seven presidents petitioned Congress to end lynching, according to the USA Today brief on page 5A.
But Senate filibusters blocked the anti-lynching bills for decades.
It’s cold comfort, folks. Perhaps for some of the descendents of the lynching victims, it will be good just to hear the acknowledgement, to see the action. To me, it just reinforces the fact that our government can be so ineffective that it boggles the mind.
The other apology story you probably saw came from Wachovia, which apologized for its precursor institutions trading in slaves.
Wachovia’s chairman said this:
“We know that we cannot change the past, and we can’t make up for the wrongs of slavery,” said Ken Thompson. “But we can learn from our past, and begin a stronger dialogue about slavery and the experience of African-Americans in our country.”
“We want to promote a better understanding of the African-American experience, including the unique struggles, triumphs and contributions of African-Americans, and their important role in America’s past and present,” he added.
If that’s the case, why not do something more than just issue an apology?
Would I rather neither of these institutions apologize, you ask? I say in response – show me actions, not words. Now you start to understand the discussion for reparations. This entire country was built on the backs of people forced into slavery. There’s no way to make up for that, but if you’re looking for a gesture, how about something with a little more meaning than a press release apology.
