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Legislative Council OKs resolution apologizing for slavery Saturday, Jun 16, 2007 By John Lyon Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - The legislative body that oversees state government between legislative sessions Friday approved an interim resolution apologizing for slavery. "Be it is resolved ... that the Legislative Council expresses its profound regret for the state of Arkansas' role in slavery and that it asks for forgiveness for the wrongs inflicted by slavery and its after-effects in the United States of America," the 62-member body's four-page resolution states. Some black lawmakers applauded the resolution, while the head of the Arkansas chapter of the NAACP said he was skeptical of the gesture. Gov. Mike Beebe, who said last week that an apology may not be necessary, had no problem with the lawmakers' resolution, his spokesman said. The resolution acknowledges slavery "was unfortunately part of the culture of the state of Arkansas" before the Civil War, noting that the state's slave population grew from 11 percent in 1820 to 25 percent by 1860. The 50th anniversary of the integration of Central High School in Little Rock "presents an ideal opportunity for the state to acknowledge its unfortunate history with slavery," the document states. It also encourages "remembrance and teaching" about the history of slavery, Jim Crow laws and modern-day slavery in places such as the Sudan. State Sens. Gilbert Baker, R-Conway, and Steve Bryles, D-Blytheville, and Reps. Steve Harrelson, D-Texarkana, and Michael Lamoureux, R-Russellville, submitted the bipartisan resolution. The council approved the resolution with a voice vote in which only "yes" votes were heard, although some members did not vote. The resolution is almost identical to one the Alabama Legislature passed last month. The legislatures of Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina also approved formal apologies for slavery this year. Baker and Bryles acknowledged that they were, in part, reacting to what other states have done. "Recent events in other states have brought this issue to the fore, and Mr. Bryles and I basically bumped into each other a week ago in the hall and expressed our concern over the issue and thought that it would be appropriate for council to take some of that language that we've seen in other states and also speak specifically to some issues relating to Central High, and make it more specific to Arkansas," Baker told the council. "We see other states very aggressively dealing with their difficult past, and I see no reason why we shouldn't do this in a very nonpartisan way," Bryles said. "This is not an attempt to draw a great deal of attention. We don't expect that this should be contentious. It's just merely a small token of apology on the part of this body." Rep. Stephanie Flowers, who is black, said she could not support the resolution. "I think the resolution should be more about a commitment from the state's Legislature to change things that happened as a result of historical, systemic kinds of things that came from slavery," said Flowers, D-Pine Bluff. Flowers said the resolution lacks substance. "Yesterday I learned that, due to budget cuts, the Center for Diversity Affairs will not be able to have Bridging the Gap, its ... math and literacy camp that was targeted at at-risk students 6 to 12 years of age. And I just wonder ... what good is it to have a piece of paper and not have execution of the judgment?" she said. Other black members of the council said they supported the resolution, though they agreed the state has more to do. "I recognize that everything has to start someplace," said Sen. Hank Wilkins, D-Pine Bluff, Senate chairman of the council. "While this body ... has limited ability to address many of the more profound issues regarding specifics of the abuses and neglect that were caused by slavery, I think this is a good starting point." Sen. Tracy Steele, D-North Little Rock, made an analogy between race relations and domestic relations. "If you've ever angered your spouse ... you can do a lot of things, take her to dinner, buy her roses, but if you never apologize, you'll have a problem in moving forward," he said. Dale Charles of Little Rock, state president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, questioned the meaningfulness of "a resolution on paper" in a state that has no human rights commission and has few blacks in high positions at state agencies. Charles also said it was telling the resolution was passed by the Legislative Council during the interim and not by the full Legislature during this year's regular session, which adjourned May 1. The Legislative Council has 62 members, 51 of whom are voting members. The Legislature has 135 members. "It occurred at the wrong time, and it was not the full House and was not the full Senate that was involved," Charles said. Gov. Mike Beebe said last week that an apology for slavery may not be necessary. "I think Arkansas probably has as good a feel for folks working together as any Southern state or any other state, so I think we've moved past that," Beebe said in a June 5 interview with The Associated Press. Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said Friday the governor had no problem with the Legislative Council's resolution. "Even though the governor said that he felt it wasn't a step that was necessary because we had moved past it, he of course doesn't see anything wrong with the council taking the step that they did if they felt it was a gesture they should undertake, and obviously it's something they've done with all the right intentions," DeCample said. "The governor's position remains ... that in the end it's going to be our actions and not our words that best show that that terrible part of our history is well behind us," he said. |
