House of Representatives Formally Apologizes for Slavery and Jim Crow

The United States House of Representatives issued a formal apology to Black Americans for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow segregation laws this passed Tuesday. Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said, “today represents a milestone in our nation's efforts to remedy the ills of our past." The bill is H. Res. 194.

Five states have issued apologies for slavery, but past proposals in the U.S. Congress have stalled, partly over concerns that an apology would lead to demands for reparations — payment for damages.

The resolution, passed by voice vote, was the work of Tennessee Democrat Steve Cohen, the only White lawmaker to represent a majority Black district. The Cohen resolution does not mention reparations. It does commit the House to rectifying "the lingering consequences of the misdeeds committed against Blacks under slavery and Jim Crow." Cohen became the first White to represent the 60 percent Black district in Memphis in more than three decades when he captured a 2006 primary where a dozen Black candidates split the vote. He has sought to reach out to his Black constituents, and early in his term showed interest in joining the Congressional Black Caucus until learning that was against caucus rules. One of his first acts as a freshman congressman in early 2007 was to introduce the slavery apology resolution. His office said that the House resolution was brought to the floor only after learning that the Senate would be unable to join in a joint resolution. Cohen faces a formidable Black challenger, attorney Nikki Tinker, in a primary face-off next week.

It says that Africans forced into slavery "were brutalized, humiliated, dehumanized and subjected to the indignity of being stripped of their names and heritage" and that Black Americans today continue to suffer from the consequences of slavery and Jim Crow laws that fostered discrimination and segregation.

The U.S. Congress has issued apologies before — to Japanese-Americans for their internment during World War II and to native Hawaiians for the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom in 1893. In 2005, the Senate apologized for failing to pass anti-lynching laws. The House "apologizes to African-Americans on behalf of the people of the United States, for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow."

"Slavery and Jim Crow are stains upon what is the greatest nation on the face of the earth," Cohen said. Part of forming a more perfect union, he said, "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."

More than a dozen of the 42 Congressional Black Caucus members in the House were original co-sponsors of the measure. The caucus has not endorsed either Cohen or his chief rival, attorney Nikki Tinker, in the Memphis primary, although Cohen is backed by several senior members, including Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel. Ms. Tinker is the former campaign manager of Harold Ford, Jr., who held Cohen's seat until he stepped down in an unsuccessful run for the Senate in 2006.

Senator Obama Names a Kennedy to Help Pick Veep

Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama turned in earnest to the general election and the hunt for a running mate Wednesday, as he was embraced by Democratic leaders who signaled forcefully and sometimes impatiently to Senator Hillary Clinton that her marathon duel with him was over. Senator Obama picked a three person team including President John F. Kennedy's daughter Caroline to help him choose a vice president. The other two were former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder, No. 2 job at the Justice Department under President Clinton; and longtime Washington insider Jim Johnson. Johnson is widely known among Democrats for having helped previous candidates, including John Kerry four years ago, sift through vice presidential possibilities. He is a former chief executive officer for the mortgage lender Fannie Mae. Kennedy's name came as a surprise, although she endorsed Senator Obama at a critical time last winter, saying he could be an inspirational leader like her father. She also campaigned for him.

Senator Clinton has told lawmakers privately that she would be interested in the vice presidential nomination. Senator Obama was noncommittal after his chat with her behind the scenes at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee today. "We're going to be having a conversation in coming weeks, and I'm very confident how unified the Democratic Party's going to be to win in November," he told reporters after a vote in the Senate where he received congratulations from all sides.

While Senator Clinton still wasn't conceding, even after Tuesday's primaries and a flood of "superdelegate" endorsements of Senator Obama sealed the nomination, there were many signs that she was closing shop. She began bidding campaign staff members farewell, and a number were told not to come to work after Friday. Last paychecks were expected to go out June 15. Senator Obama showed patience, but other Democrats urged her to get out of the way. "I don't see why we don't get on with it and endorse" Obama, said Representative Charles Rangel, a strong Clinton supporter and congressman from her home state of New York. He said it was only a matter of time before he and other Clinton supporters formally back Obama.

Meanwhile, the dam holding back endorsements broke from coast to coast on the day after the primary elections concluded. Seven senators who had stayed out of the matter said they were giving Senator Obama their commitment and would work toward uniting Democrats for the election, now exactly five months away. Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen was joined by two other superdelegates to say they hoped to bring the party behind Senator Obama even though Senator Clinton won their state. Former Vice President Walter Mondale, who had been a Clinton supporter, announced he was backing Obama. It hardly mattered in terms of delegate math now; Senator Obama had more than enough to prevail at the party convention in Denver in August. But Senator Obama's new backers were also sending a message to Senator Clinton that her race was over.

Bob Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, was lobbying members of the Congressional Black Caucus to urge Senator Obama to place Senator Clinton on the ticket. He said he was doing so with her blessing. Rangel, a founding member of the caucus, expressed doubts that Johnson's approach would work. "I don't really think that the way to get Obama to (choose) Clinton would be to put pressure on him. I think it would have the opposite effect," Rangel said. Uncle Tom, er Bob Johnson is still trying to get his massa back in the White House. If Senator Obama chooses Senator Clinton he had better double his security force and hire a food taster.

In related news Senator Clinton is scheduled to endorse Senator Obama on Saturday.

Paterson Sworn in As New York’s First Black Governor

David Paterson was sworn in as New York's governor on today, becoming the state's first black chief executive and vowing to move past the scandal that has rocked the state Capitol. Paterson, who is legally blind, was interrupted at several times during his address with thunderous applause. Before he spoke, lawmakers gave him a two-minute standing ovation and chanted: "David! David! David!" "This transition today is an historic message to the world: That we live by the same values that we profess, and we are a government of laws, not individuals," Paterson said.

Governor Paterson rose from the lieutenant governor's office after ex-governor Eliot Spitzer resigned last week amid allegations that he hired a call girl from a high-priced escort service. It was a dramatic fall for Spitzer, who was elected with an overwhelming share of the vote and who had vowed to root out corruption at the Capitol. Paterson spoke without notes for 26 minutes with much of his speech being self-deprecating humor that helped define him as a lawmaker and lieutenant governor. It seemed aimed at smoothing the damage Spitzer did with his adversaries in the Legislature. "We move forward. Today is Monday. There is work to be done," Paterson said. "There was an oath to be taken. There's trust that needs to be restored. There are issues that need to be addressed." Paterson drew howls from the audience when he poked fun at his disability and deadpanned that he would accept an invitation to dinner with the state's top Republican, Senator Joseph Bruno, only if his "taster" could come along. He playfully teased Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, a former small-college basketball star, that he is ready to school him on the court. And he told the story of how Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver stopped him from accidentally bringing his gavel down on a glass, saying he didn't want him to turn the Legislature into a Jewish wedding. The mood at the Capitol was cheerful and most politicians said they were hopeful that Paterson can help the state recover from the shock of the past week. Lawmakers including New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and governors from three neighboring states attended Paterson's inauguration.

Governor Paterson was the lieutenant governor for just 14 months. Before that, he was a Democratic state senator since 1985, representing parts of Harlem and Manhattan's Upper West Side. He is the first legally blind governor in the nation to serve more than a few days in office. His father, Basil, a former state senator representing Harlem and later New York's first Black secretary of state, was part of a political fraternity that included fellow Democrats U.S. Representative Charles Rangel, former New York City Mayor David Dinkins and former Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton.