Discrimination & injustice; General Assembly to acknowledge & express regret for State's role in. (HJ728)

Introduced By

Sen. Don McEachin (D-Richmond)

Progress

Introduced
Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate

Description

Resolution; Atoning for the involuntary servitude of Africans and calling for reconciliation. Expresses the General Assembly's atonement, on behalf of the Commonwealth, for the slavery of Africans, and calls for racial reconciliation. This resolution notes the history of the American slave trade and the subsequent legal and social structures throughout the nation that deprived African Americans of their inalienable rights and states that healing and reconciliation are possible with the acknowledgement of past grievous indignities and injustices. Read the Bill »

Status

03/26/2007: Passed the House

History

DateAction
01/10/2007Prefiled and laid on Speaker's table; offered 01/10/07 072609410
01/10/2007Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/07 072609410
01/11/2007Referred to Committee on Rules
02/01/2007Committee substitute printed 072684440-H1
02/02/2007Taken up
02/02/2007Committee substitute agreed to 072684440-H1
02/02/2007Engrossed by House - committee substitute HJ728H1
02/02/2007Agreed to by House BLOCK VOTE (91-Y 0-N)
02/02/2007Communicated to Senate
02/05/2007Reading waived
02/05/2007Referred to Committee on Rules
02/19/2007Committee substitute printed 072691410-S1
02/19/2007Reported from Rules with substitute
02/20/2007Reading waived (40-Y 0-N)
02/20/2007Motion to reconsider Passed by for the day agreed to (40-Y 0-N)
02/20/2007VOTE: (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/20/2007Passed by for the day
02/21/2007Read third time
02/21/2007Reading of substitute waived
02/21/2007Committee substitute agreed to 072691410-S1
02/21/2007Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HJ728S1
02/21/2007Agreed to by Senate with substitute by voice vote
02/22/2007Placed on Calendar
02/22/2007Senate substitute rejected by House (1-Y 97-N)
02/22/2007VOTE: REJECTED (1-Y 97-N) (see vote tally)
02/22/2007Senate insisted on substitute (30-Y 0-N)
02/22/2007VOTE: (30-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/22/2007Senate requested conference committee
02/22/2007House acceded to request
02/22/2007Conferees appointed by House
02/22/2007Delegates: McEachin, O'Bannon, Griffith
02/22/2007Conferees appointed by Senate
02/22/2007Senators: Marsh, Houck, Locke
02/24/2007Conference substitute printed 072703410-H2
02/24/2007Conference report agreed to by House (96-Y 0-N)
02/24/2007VOTE: ADOPTION (96-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/24/2007Reading of conference report waived
02/24/2007Conference report agreed to by Senate
03/26/2007Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ728ER)

Duplicate Bills

The following bills are identical to this one: SJ332.

Comments

Bill Bordeaux writes:

The State of Virginia should atone for the slavery of the black people but, the State should only atone to the blacks that can prove they are the direct desendents of slaves of the Old Commonwealth. The only White people that should be forced to pay reparations to the blacks for enslavement in the State of Virginia should be required by law before paying reparations to prove direct linage to slave owners of the Old Commonwealth.

Waldo Jaquith writes:

Actually, Bill, nobody's proposing any sort of reparations. That's nowhere in this proposed resolution, and I've heard no talk of any such thing. This is just a straight-up apology.

Patti Winters writes:

In one of the talk shows on WHRO they were discussing this bill and were talking about how the government is going to have slave owners' descendents pay slave descendents money. So you might want to look into it further. Because it can always be placed on another bill as a rider after this one gets passed.

Bruce Voorheis writes:

I wish you politicians would spend ALL your time on meaningless crap like this; then you wouldn't be able to pass bills that restrict the freedoms we have left. Apologies, contrition, profound regret... none of it is going to change a damn thing in this country and the saddest thing about it is - YOU ALL KNOW IT WON'T CHANGE ANYTHING! Or, if you don't, then you're so totally out of touch with your constituencies you're totally unable to do your jobs and should step down immediately. When my grandfather was 12, he got in a fight and had his nose broken. After he and the other guy died of old age, the grandson of the other guy expressed to me his profound regret and I felt so much better....

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA !!!!!!!!!!!

Marty Martin writes:

I think this act of the Virginia General Assembly, although tardy from a historical perspective, is nonetheless timely in the sense that Virginia is celebrating 400 years this year.

It is undeniable that racial and ethnic tensions are high all over the world and still an issue we deal with in the United States that can be traced back to slavery and the mistreatment of African Americans.

It is also true that we now-a-days had nothing to do with slavery, but all of us, black and white (and I myself am white), still contribute to the tensions but relying on stereotypes and untrue presumptions about each other. It is something that we must conquer for the future of Virginia and America.

I applaud the General Assembly. It is simply amazing to me that we Virginians are the first state to take this step. And again I say Bravo!