Lawmaker Under Fire for Slavery Comment

By BOB LEWIS
AP

RICHMOND, Va. (Jan. 16) - A state legislator said black people "should get over" slavery and questioned whether Jews should apologize "for killing Christ," drawing denunciations Tuesday from stunned colleagues.

Del. Frank D. Hargrove, 79, made his remarks in opposition to a measure that would apologize on the state's behalf to the descendants of slaves.

In an interview published Tuesday in The Daily Progress of Charlottesville, Hargrove said slavery ended nearly 140 years ago with the Civil War and added that "our black citizens should get over it."

The newspaper also quoted him as saying, "are we going to force the Jews to apologize for killing Christ?"

"When somebody tells me I should just get over slavery, I can only express my emotion by projecting that I am appalled, absolutely appalled," said Del. Dwight C. Jones, head of the Legislative Black Caucus.

Del. David L. Englin also criticized Hargrove's remarks, recalling that his grandparents were driven from their homes in Poland "by people who believed that as Jews, we killed Christ."

When Hargrove rose to speak, he told Englin he didn't care about Englin's religion. "I think your skin was a little too thin," Hargrove said as lawmakers gasped and groaned.

 

He is an

I always wonder why Americans have such a hard time to admit and adress the wrongs done in the history of the USA.

A couple of years ago, Benin's ambassador Cyrille Oguin toured across America to apologize for his own country's role in the slave trade. This was a great opportunity for the American government to apologize as well, but they didn't jump at the chance.

Reading Hargrove's absurd comments, I had to think about Elton John's lyrics:
It's sad, so sad
It's a sad, sad situation
And it's getting more and more absurd
It's sad, so sad
Why can't we talk it over
Oh it seems to me
That sorry seems to be the hardest word

 

If the American government apologizes then they admit it was wrong. The American government never likes admitting any wrongdoing.

 

If I'm not mistaken wasn't an apology of some sorts issued during the Clinton administration :?: Just another reason why I'm a Clinton fan...and proud of it too :!: :wink:

 

An excellent commentary on this issue from Colbert King of the WaPo.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/19/AR2007011901542.html

 

Thanks for this link, Spindip! The commentator is raising an interesting point: What about Jim Crow? Why is this never subject in this kind of discussions?

 

Republicans and their race-baitin tactics? So much for "we are trying to bring more blacks back to the party of Lincoln".

Really, i'd love to talk to a conservative one of these days so i can punch him in the eye.

 

I hope that you didn't hurt yourself too much a few months ago, when you were a "conservative Republican and proud of it" ...

 

:lol: :lol: Don't mind me, i really cannot explain what ever made me vote Republicans in the past. Never mind, it's all in the past now. :lol: