Say you’re sorry, White man.
Black legislative leaders said Thursday they will propose that Georgia apologize for the state’s role in slavery and segregation-era laws.
“It is time for Georgia, as one of the major stake-holders in slavery, as one of the major players in lynchings, to say it’s sorry,” said state Rep. Tyrone Brooks, a Democrat. “Sorry for the fact that it was involved in slave trade, sorry for the fact that it was involved in Jim Crow laws.”
The measure comes on the heels of a Virginia resolution, passed unanimously in February, expressing regret over slavery.
“If the capital of the Confederate states can lead the way in issuing an apology, then surely all of the other states that maintained slavery can consider doing the same,” Brooks said.
Lawmakers in Missouri are considering a similar proposal, and Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen introduced a resolution in Congress asking the federal government to apologize for slavery and Jim Crow-era discrimination.
Brooks said the Georgia measure will be unveiled in the next few days. Along with asking for apologies from the executive branch and legislative branches, it could ask an apology from Georgia’s judges.