The U.S. House issued a formal apology for slavery yesterday. Memphis Democrat Steve Cohen sponsored the apology and it could help him in his tough primary fight in a majority African American district next week.
Cohen is facing African American lawyer, Nikki Tinker. The election has divided some members of the Congressional Black Caucus. But Cohen has the support of one CBC member – John Conyers. He is is also the Chairman of the Judiciary committee. Conyers discharged Cohen’s resolution apologizing for slavery early, though Cohen denies the move had anything to do with his primary.
From the House Floor, Cohen said it is meant to heal past wrongs.
“When we conceived this government and we said all men created equal, we didn’t in fact make all men equal and nor did we make all women equal. We have worked to form a more perfect union, and part of forming a more perfect union is laws and part of it is such a resolution as we have today, where we face up to our mistakes and we apologize.”
Cohen’s office says the bill was introduced last February, and that it is something he has worked on for over a decade. If the Senate also passes the bill, it would be the first formal apology for slavery from any branch of the U.S. government.
This story was produced with the help of Capitol News Connection.
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