I think there is a simple conclusion most British (or others) would come to when thinking about slave trade and apologies: Why on earth should I apologise about something I, my parents, or even my grand, grand parents had nothing to do with?

It might also be asked: Who is there to apologise to, if those seeking an apology were not even involved in the slave trade at all?

I am sure many more would comment on how the British at the time did something that could be considered much more important than any apology, how Britain outlawed the slave trade and pressed others to do the same, setting up a substantial naval unit dedicated to preventing it also, freeing slaves on captured ships. Indeed, the british units even took action against African rulers who would not abolish trade of slaves in their kingdom, and pushing others to sign anti-slave treaties.

Perhaps this action does not make amends for the slave trade, but I would say it was a bloomin good try.

Of course, just as the acts of slavery were not committed by the modern british, and so blame lies not with them, nor was this act of good, so the praise lies not with them either.

Is playing a pivotal role in (indeed, beginning) abolition of the trade not repentance enough for Britian today?

My little familiarity with psychology tells me that we are all a product of our environments and that being the case no one is quite qualified to speak on the long standing effects that slavery has had on the descendants of former slaves unless you have walked in their shoes for as long as they have. Aside from slow and painful progress in the areas of civil rights, I do not think that there has been proper closure to the inhumanity that most of these former-slaves descendants have endured for generations.Apology in one form or another would go a long way in re-writing the history for the benefit of the future generations of former slaves especially those of darker hue whose skin color is a constant reminder of disparities that have continually visited their kind. As a matter of fact, I think that just like the native Americans, the African Americans deserve to have their own sovereign nations as a form of apology and recognition of their right to self-determination as a group.

As for the Obamas and Powells of this world, when it comes down to it, they, like any other black person have had to overcome the obstacles that come with their skin color and just because they are of mixed heritage and successful does not override the fact that they will, for the entirety of their lives, be judged as black.

As for the question of domestic servants, we live in a free market world and as long as it is not forced labor, I do not see anything wrong with it.

By the way, great article.

It is a moral thing where establishments apologize for their roles in slavery. There’s a word for describing people who see this as a black v white thing…racist.

And for a member of one race to defend the other race around that same black v white nucleus is even worse than an African selling another into slavery for trinkets.

Again I ask — who is apologizing?

It is a moral thing where establishments apologize for their roles in slavery.

Good point. Why don’t we?

Who is this we?

Enough with the not quite clever shadow boxing. Answer the question. What use is the apology?

It lays the foundation of morlity for future sincere relations.

How am i stripping away your identity and it is my father who did things to your father? I refuse to pay for the sins of my father

Easily said while sitting there on your fathers throne.

Then doesn’t that make the apology even more empty?

When a child is naughty you don’t ask them to apologize you tell them to. The idea is this becomes part of their ethical makeup by the time they become adults.

It will not be empty because the apology will come with an explanation of how it was derived..and it won’t be because someone told them to.

I did not in fact mean the bible when I said “from Adam”

Shadow boxing right?

And there you go again glossing over. Kindly address this part: “Berbers took white slaves from Europe”

In America, many immigrant groups have benefitted from equalities gained by African-American civil rights movements. But before we go into that, Berberbers “”took”" white slaves or “”bought”" white slaves?

Then why are we looking for apologies

Why not?

It is hyporcisy to ask for an apology if you are not ready to apologize yourself

What you mean like this?
http://cauderno.wordpress.com/2006/09/27/ghana-apologizes/

Who is this “we”? And how many crown jewels? As for making up laws as we go along — that is why Bush is in the doghouse

The same we where you said “Good point. Why don’t we?”

Bush is a law unto himself….but still, the doghouse isn’t too bad a place when you have puppets willing to follow you in there.

That is a bit naive. What of Africans who were the product of slave masters and slaves? Do they get paid half?

The most famous half breed Bob Marley didn’t stop singing about it until the day he died.

Which government

Start with Britain.

Did they?

Get a tamed horse to plough your field then give it water and some hay then it’s easy to see why it believes it is free.

It’s not a black v white thing per se…it’s establishments apologizing for their role in slavery – beneficiaries apologize to victims.
…like the Church has recently acknowledged…like Ghana has already acknowledged…and Virginia…ask them who they apologized or want to apologize to.

The UK having declared themselves as the leaders of morality should be the first to start…just don’t go taking the pi$$ by decorating a celebration as a commemoration.

You’ll find some of your answers here..read it and where blacks have been victims of white mobs I expect you to go looking for the blacks who sold out to assist.

http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/48613/

In all the world wars tales of sellouts, espionage and treason are rife. Africans who sold Africans can be dealt with in the same way but don’t let that detract from the true crime.

Acknowledgment of this atrocity/ holocaust is certainly a step in the right direction.

We ‘modern age Kenyans’, as it were, may not be able to identify with this but the living generations of these ancestors are still affected by their enslavement. You shouldn’t knock something you know so little about…

The apology is not a black V white thing per se – do not fall into this trap!

2. If we generously generalize that black people were oppressed by the white people, what becomes of those shades of grey like Colin Powell and Barack Obama? Do they apologize from one side of the mouth and accept the apology with the other?

See answer to question 1

3. Since the blacks happily took part in the slave trade themselves, vigorously buying and selling their brothers, how do these factor into the apologies?

Trading (buying and selling) slaves is not the crime the west would be asked to apologize for. The dehumanising of Africans is a good place to start.

4. Our Arab brethren also took part in this trade and made some good living out of it. Why then the double standards?

At this time we can only fight our legacy. Again the question suggests this is a black v white thing. You might as well ask why we don’t also take up the plight of the jews.

5. What use is this apology?

Process the word through a thesaurus its use is defined by its meaning.

6. Why am I being apologized to, and it is my great great great grandfather who was bought, sold and worked himself into the grave for no pay?

Personally, the first thing which comes to mind is I am being apologised to because your stripping away of my identity and my culture means I can no longer trace back my ancestry with any certainty that far.

7. Why do people want an apology from Tony Blair for things done 150 years before he was even an idea in his folks’ minds?

There are many things done in the name of forefathers..just seems a bit suspect when a line is drawn over an apology and reparations.

8. If Mr. Blair does make this apology, it will be completely hollow and meaningless. Why would he take responsibility for the deeds of his forefathers? If my ancestors through guns, whips and ships propelled my country to be the second superpower in the world and I stepped into the shoes of leadership, I dare say I could find the tears and sorrow to be as sorry as you would like me to be. I would even apologize if you’d like. At the end of the day I’d still be sure that it wouldn’t change a damn thing

Mr Blair has is not being asked to make a personal apology…which makes you wonder why he appears to be taking it so personally?

9. Am I the only one who finds ludicrous the notion that I have to apologize to a boy I wouldn’t know from Adam because my father soundly clobbered his father in nursery school?

The bible is still used today as a scapegoat to justify wars, treachery, government foreign policy and to excuse world atrocities! – the use of the bible in this way is concrete recognition of the relevance and the significance of ancestry.

10. Those outraged black folk fuming about the white oppressing them ought to put down those writs and dig a little deeper into history where they will find the Berbers took white slaves from Europe. Are they ready for that reparation?

Maybe, maybe not but if nothing else this is a good example of how the word ‘slave’ is used loosely – don’t lose track of the real crime..the word slavery is regularly used as a veil to cover it.

11. There was a roaring slave trade in West Africa, and as a matter of fact they even constructed a market! Demanding an apology from Tony Blair is as absurd of demanding an apology from a bullet and neglecting to mention the gun.

A demanded apology is not an apology. Just ask those who have already apologised most if not all will tell you they have recognized the crimes of their establishments which makes them look like hypocrites when they sit on their inherited throne preaching crime does not pay!

12. Why stop at the transatlantic slave trade? Myopia appears to be a fairly coming affliction
The prime minister of Greece should apologizee for all the things the Greeks did when they dominated the world, including trading in slaves
The prime minister of Italy should apologize for all the things the Romans did when they dominated the world, including trading in slaves
Saddam Hussein, before being unceremoniously hanged, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should have been made to apologize for all the things the Persians did when they dominated the world, including trading in slaves
The relatively mild people of Norway, Denmark and Sweden should be startled out of their placid lives with demands that they apologize for the things the Vikings did
We can ask the same of the Mongols, the Spaniards, the Portuguese, the Egyptians …

What because they haven’t they shouldn’t? – why not just eradicate the whole world of the very concept of apologizing – we’ll start in our primary schools.

13. If financial reparation is to be made:
Who will actually foot the bills for this? The taxpayers of the US and the UK? Which include descendants of the said slaves?
How will the figures be arrived at?
Who will receive this monies? If your great grand mother was the bed wench of a plantation owner are you eligible for half?

Well convicted drug dealers usually have their assets taken…guess we could start with taking Buckingham Palace….and some of those crown Jewels. But regardless, just like the war on terrorism, in the name of justice, if you have to, then make up new laws as you go along.

As for who will receive this monies…any African carrying the slave masters surname would be a good place to start.

14. If we can figure out who will offer the reparation, and how it will be done, how will this invalidate the inhumanity that took place?

It never will in the same way a prison sentence will never invalidate a crime – but the crime was still done.

15. If it is an apology people want, what if I personally offered an apology for the inhumanity of the slave trade. Will that do? If not, why not?

Apology would be accepted – so why is it so hard at the government level?

16. We have spent all these centuries without these reparations. Why the sudden urgent need now? I like to think that most of us are doing just fine without it.

Sudden?, urgent?, doing fine? – I wonder how long it was into slavery before house ni$$ers said the same thing.

Why should the descendants of the larger white majority that weren’t slave owners be the ones to owe and pay the debt? Many white non-slave owners also fought hard and gave their lives to abolish slavery. Are the descendants of black slaves going to repay the white folks for such loss of life?