Historic Day: House formally apologizes for slavery and Jim Crow

House Resolution 194 was passed this evening by a voice vote of the U.S. House of Representatives. With its passage the House formally apologizes to black Americans for the wrongs suffered by their ancestors under the government-sanctioned institutions of slavery and Jim Crow

From the bill:

Resolved, That the House of Representatives–

(1) acknowledges the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow;

(2) apologizes to African-Americans on behalf of the people of the United States, for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow; and

(3) expresses its commitment to rectify the lingering consequences of the misdeeds committed against African-Americans under slavery and Jim Crow and to stop the occurrence of human rights violations in the future.

“Today represents a milestone in our nation’s efforts to remedy the ills of our past,” said Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich., chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

From the website of Rep. Steve Cohen, sponsor of H. Res. 194.

Read more here, here, here, and here.