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Mo. lawmaker again pursuing slavery apology

By CHRIS BLANK
Associated Press Writer

Jan 10, 2008 - 11:29:23 CST

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A St. Louis legislator said Wednesday that he again will try to have the state apologize for slavery.

Democratic Rep. Talibdin El-Amin said apologizing for and acknowledging slavery would help heal wounds in a state that was so divided during the Civil War that it sent soldiers to both sides. Last session, a similar resolution gained support from many Republicans — including House Speaker Rod Jetton from Marble Hill — but was never debated on the floor.

El-Amin said he plans to file a similar measure next week but is willing to make some changes to help secure passage.

“Of course I want to see successful passage, but not where it waters down to where the primary intent is to make people feel good,” he said.

A draft version of the resolution explains the history of Missouri slavery while saying that “perpetual pain, distrust and bitterness” could be relieved while helping unify Missourians.

Lawmakers in Alabama, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia have already issued formal slavery apologies.

The Republican-controlled chamber in Missouri last year created a committee headed by El-Amin to study the issue before the 2008 session. But some Republican committee members want to “express regret” or “remorse” rather than apologize. Others say there should be a provision that would prevent lawsuits.

Rep. Rob Schaaf said racist policies and laws have been scrubbed from state government and that it’s impossible for current lawmakers to apologize for the actions of past legislatures.

“I feel that an apology is a change of heart and a request for forgiveness,” said Schaaf, R-St. Joseph. “And a request for forgiveness is a promise to never do it again and to make things whole, which is a step toward reparations.”

El-Amin said the resolution is about acknowledging a wrong and shouldn’t delve into economic and legal issues. He said he intentionally avoided the debate surrounding slavery reparations and called a provision dealing with lawsuits an attempt to “interject a ghost argument.”

Rep. Leonard Hughes said he doubted people would start suing states. Hughes, D-Kansas City, said that if he were to seek reparations he would turn to businesses who profited from slave labor and not the state.

“I’d rather go after corporate money than the state because they had the slaves — the state didn’t have slaves,” Hughes said.

Discussion about the lawsuit provision was sparked by an element of the New Jersey apology that prevents the resolution from being used in litigation.

Rep. Doug Funderburk, who also served on the interim committee, said he can support the resolution with some changes — including the lawsuit protection. He said that’s needed because the purpose is to address slavery and not open the door to reparations, which would punish current taxpayers for the sins of past legislatures.

Funderburk, who said his family has ties to slavery in Mississippi, said he’s concerned the resolution could remove policies from their historical context. He suggested numerous edits to El-Amin’s draft to remove some subjective statements and to add an acknowledgment of the almost 14,000 Missourians who died during the Civil War.

“There is not a fiber in my body that thinks slavery is OK ... but I don’t know if I was raised in the 1820s or 1840s that I would have that same perspective,” said Funderburk, R-St. Peters.



On the Net:

Legislature: www.moga.mo.gov

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