march 26, 2007
Virginia Apologizes for Slavery & Queen Elizabeth to Visit Jamestown
As the 400th Anniversary of the founding of Jamestown approaches, activity is beginning to increase in the Old Dominion. On the political scene, Virginia lawmakers recently voted to apologize for the state's role in the American slave trade. And British officials recently announced that Queen Elizabeth II will travel to Jamestown and Williamsburg in early May.
Meeting on the grounds of the former Confederate Capitol, the Virginia General Assembly voted unanimously to express 'profound regret' for the state's role in slavery. The resolution passed the House 96-0 and cleared the Senate on a unanimous voice vote.
The Associated Press reports that sponsors of the resolution say they know of no other state that has apologized for slavery, although Missouri lawmakers are considering such a measure. The resolution does not carry the weight of law but sends an important symbolic message, supporters said.
"This session will be remembered for a lot of things, but 20 years hence I suspect one of those things will be the fact that we came together and passed this resolution," said Delegate A. Donald McEachin, a Democrat who sponsored it in the House of Delegates.
The resolution says government-sanctioned slavery "…ranks as the most horrendous of all depredations of human rights and violations of our founding ideals in our nation's history, and the abolition of slavery was followed by systematic discrimination, enforced segregation, and other insidious institutions and practices toward Americans of African descent that were rooted in racism, racial bias, and racial misunderstanding."
In Virginia, as in many states after the Civil War, black voter turnout was suppressed with a poll tax and literacy tests before those practices were struck down by federal courts, and state leaders responded to federally ordered school desegregation with a 'Massive Resistance' movement in the 1950s and early '60s.
The apology is the latest in a series of strides Virginia has made in overcoming its segregationist past. Virginia was the first state to elect a black governor, L. Douglas Wilder in 1989, and the Legislature took a step toward atoning for Massive Resistance in 2004 by creating a scholarship fund for blacks whose schools were shut down between 1954 and 1964.
The A.P. reports that among those voting for the measure was Delegate Frank D. Hargrove, an 80-year-old Republican who infuriated black leaders during the debate by saying 'black citizens should get over' slavery. After enduring a barrage of criticism, Hargrove successfully co-sponsored a resolution calling on Virginia to celebrate 'Juneteenth,' a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
The British Are Coming!
The announcement from Buckingham Palace that Queen Elizabeth II will commemorate the 400th anniversary of Jamestown has been greeted with great enthusiasm by politicians and planners of various anniversary events -- both sacred and secular.
"We are pleased Her Majesty has chosen to visit during this momentous year for Virginia," Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said in a statement. "Her Majesty's first visit to the United States in 1957 coincided with the 350th anniversary of Jamestown, and for the queen to spend two days in Virginia during her first visit to the United States in 16 years is extraordinary."
Jamestown and Williamsburg will be the first stop in a week long royal visit to the United States, according to Buckingham Palace. She will be accompanied by her husband, His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, for the visit May 3 and 4.
The trip will be the queen's fourth state visit to the United States and her second call on Jamestown. The newly-crowned Queen visited Virginia for the 350th anniversary of Jamestown in 1957.
The Jamestown 2007 commemoration began in May, 2006, and comprises 18 months worth of activities. Along with several official activities, many spiritually-oriented activities are planned for the weeks surrounding the anniversary, including:
The Assembly 2007 Conference
Dedication Sunday, April 29th at Virginia Beach
VA 24/7 Prayer Initiative
The National Day of Prayer in Virginia
Arise America
Other related sites:
First Landing The Movie
Jamestown Journey
America's 400th Anniversary Site
E-mail Craig with your comments on this Blog
ChurchWatch Front
Page
More from Craig
von Buseck on CBN.com
More from Spiritual Life