Black leaders in Virginia demand delegate's censure By Bob Lewis ASSOCIATED PRESS January 19, 2007 RICHMOND -- Angry black leaders demanded the formal censure yesterday of a state legislator who had said blacks should "get over" slavery and said it merited protests. "I think we ought to just kick up some hell," the Rev. J. Rayfield Vines Jr. of Richmond said during a press conference organized by the Virginia National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In a newspaper interview published Tuesday, Delegate Frank D. Hargrove Sr., Hanover Republican, made his comment about slavery and rhetorically asked whether Jews should apologize for the crucifixion of Christ. He was criticizing a House resolution expressing Virginia's apology for slavery. Two black House members and Mr. Hargrove's Jewish seatmate denounced Mr. Hargrove's comments in impassioned floor speeches Tuesday. In a rebuttal, Mr. Hargrove, 79, stood and faced Delegate David L. Englin, Northern Virginia Democrat, and said, "I think your skin is a little too thin." In often emotional and seething comments yesterday, state NAACP Executive Director King Salim Khalfani and four black religious leaders said that nothing short of an apology by the Republican Party and a formal rebuke of Mr. Hargrove would satisfy them. "The handwriting of the past is still riding upon the slaves today because we've never gotten our therapy, we've never dealt with it honestly because this is Virginia, this is the 51st state: the state of denial," Mr. Khalfani said. After the press conference, the group confronted Mr. Hargrove in his office. "We think that's very insensitive for you to say blacks should just get over it when you haven't walked in our shoes," Mr. Khalfani told Mr. Hargrove. Mr. Hargrove said that neither he nor the legislature could apologize for slavery, an institution wiped out by the Civil War. "I still am not going to support apologizing for things I didn't have anything to do with," he said. The Rev. A. Lincoln James of Richmond said that he is president of an organization that represents 735 black Baptist churches, "and your comments have offended every last one of them." Mr. Hargrove said several black pastors are friends, "not political friends, but friends of mine, and if I've offended those good Christians who've really served their community, then I do apologize to those individuals." The sharpest exchange was with Tracy Muhammad of Richmond, the Virginia representative of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Mr. Muhammad asked Mr. Hargrove whether this generation of whites owes an apology for the forced labor of blacks generations ago. "You're a Muslim, and Muslims have relatively recently become a force in this country, and hopefully they will contribute positively to this country. I don't know whether they will or not," Mr. Hargrove said. Mr. Khalfani said he will await the action of the Republican Party and the House to determine whether civil protests are warranted in response to Mr. Hargrove's comments and to what Mr. Khalfani said is a poor record of state contracting with black-owned businesses. Mr. Vines, pastor of a church in suburban Henrico County, was less equivocal. "We need to take it to the street," he said. Mr. Hargrove told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he had received calls from across the country in overwhelming support of his statements. His office guessed the reaction was running 20-to-1 in favor of his comments, the Times-Dispatch reported yesterday. As of late Wednesday, reaction on the Times-Dispatch's Web site was running about 4-to-1 in favor of Mr. Hargrove, with most responses tied to the apology bill. The Times-Dispatch also reported yesterday that one caller to Mr. Hargrove wanted to double his campaign contributions. A man in Massachusetts said he is ready to mobilize workers for a Hargrove presidential campaign. Authority exists to censure members under rules of the Republican-run House of Delegates, but that hasn't been exercised in at least the past 50 years, said House Clerk Bruce F. Jamerson. Neither Republicans nor Democrats were ready to commit to such a step yesterday. "I've heard comments equally hurtful to other folks, and we've not censured anyone over them," said House Majority Leader H. Morgan Griffith, Salem Republican. House Minority Leader Franklin P. Hall, Richmond Democrat, said he wouldn't "pass judgment on that until I've had a chance to talk to folks and listen to what my constituents have to say." Even the black delegate who is sponsoring the House slavery apology measure was noncommittal. "I understand the sentiment and sympathize with the sentiment in a general sense, but a censure is for someone who knows they've done something wrong. I'm not sure Delegate Hargrove appreciates how wrong what he said was," said Delegate A. Donald McEachin, Richmond Democrat.
Shades of Trent Lott. This guy not only touched the third rail of racial politics, he danced on it. We know what's next. Bush and the national republican party denounce him. Republican weenies suddenly fall all over themselves supporting apologies, etc to show their "sensisitivity." Black "leaders" do their best to keep the grins off their faces, as they sit solemnly and sadly decide that the Republicans have not groveled enough. I wouldn't be surprised if John McCain goes to Richmond and meets with the black leaders. Of course, everyone knows this Delegate was right. Obsessing over slavery does nothing for today's blacks, except serve as a useful club to beat political opponents with. No one alive today owned slaves, and I've never heard anyone support or condone it. Issuing "apologies" for something people in another age and time did is at best cheap moral grandstanding.
They Guy's Right. I am sending him some money. and by the way, doesn't matter a damn bit whether they are black white or blue, none of us get recompensed for the injustices we experience in life. Think about it. We are all in the same boat. Get over it assholes. Steve
Slavery existed since 10,000+ years ago and has existed in every culture and continent. Many societies had many more slaves than free citizens. Nearly all of us are descendants of slaves.
Strange that Blacks do not actively pursue the Africans that sold them into slavery to the white slave traders with the same vigor.
According to UNICEF more people are enslaved in Africa TODAY than during all the years of the European slave trade. From this I've concluded, perhaps wrongly, that Blacks are more to blame for the slavery than Whites. As for "Getting Over It".... yeah right. It's the ace card to the race baiters and the power of the ready made excuse is too enticing. The majority is certainly over it, "wolf" has been cried enough times, even the biggest guilt-ridden pansies are starting to turn deaf ears to it. "RACISM!" bah ... Kramer is now the poster boy for racism in America ........
On Kramer: Nigger (n) (ethnic slur) extremely offensive name for a Black person Yet it's not offensive when Blacks routinely call each other by this term. In fact, it's used as a term of endearment. How can Blacks be taken seriously on the subject of the use of the "N-word" when such a gross hypocrisy exists?
If we shouldn't pay for what our people did, then why should we benefit? We took the strongest, the fastest, the biggest, the smartest, Africa had to offer. Just look in the NFL, NBA, MLB. How many CEO's can you name that are black, or even women for that matter. We has white males have been put into a better position from the word go. So no we are not in the same boat.