Senator Burris on Senate Slavery Resolution

United States Senator Roland W. Burris Delivers Floor Statement on Senate Resolution to Apologize for Slavery

June 18, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Roland W. Burris today delivered a statement on the Senate floor supporting Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) for their introduction of a resolution to apologize for slavery, Jim Crow laws, and policies of segregation and hate.

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Senator Burris made the following remarks from the Senate floor:

“Slavery and racial segregation have left a tragic legacy that divided this country in the bloodiest war we have yet known. It is a legacy that still affects each and every one of us to this day. My colleagues, Senator Harkin and Senator Brownback, have introduced a resolution apologizing for slavery, Jim Crow laws, and policies of segregation and hate. I applaud my colleagues for their willingness to confront the difficult history we all share. Several state governments have issued similar apologies, but the fact that the blight of slavery was a national concern demands a national response.

“As I look around the Senate floor today, I think of my parents, who never saw this chamber. I think of my grandparents, who never saw this city. And I think of my ancestors, who could dream only of their freedom. My own great, great grandfather was given that freedom--freed from bondage as a slave in the 1860s near Columbus, Georgia. Without a name of his own, he adopted an Army rank as his first name, and took as his last name the County where he had lived, Major Green. And in the span of only those few generations, I stand here in the Senate chamber as the great, great grandson of Major Green on that uniquely American arc of history that has taken my own family from slave to Senator.

“As a nation, we have come a long way. But we cannot turn our backs on the shame of slavery, just as we cannot turn our backs on the rest of the Constitution that at one time embraced it. The greatness of this nation comes from our ability to chart a new course – to shape and reshape the destiny that we share, choosing to reject injustice and cruelty. Choosing to overcome the tragic legacy of past mistakes and look ahead to a brighter future. This resolution cannot erase that terrible legacy, but it can help to heal the wounds of centuries gone by. It can pave the way for future progress.”

Source: Senator Roland W. Burris