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Alabama Split Over Slavery Apology
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Residents of Alabama are divided on their state officially making amends for its role in slavery and the injustices of discrimination, according to a poll by the University of South Alabama published in The Press-Register. 45 per cent of respondents believe an apology is in order, while 44 per cent disagree.
The Alabama Legislature recently considered two slavery-apology resolutions, one sponsored by Democratic representative Mary Moore, and another by Democratic senator Hank Sanders.
Yesterday, the Alabama Legislature passed a resolution expressing "profound regret" for the state's role in slavery, and apologizing for its wrongs and lingering effects on the United States. Alabama stands to become the fourth state—after Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina—to formally apologize for slavery.
Sanders said the legislation "sends a message that Alabama is finally standing on its history rather than having its history weigh it down." No African-American lawmakers served in the Alabama Legislature until 1965, when the federal Voting Rights Act ended literacy tests and race-related poll taxes in the southern states.
Republican Bob Riley has acted as Alabama's governor since January 2003. In November 2006, he earned a new four-year term, defeating Democratic challenger Lucy Baxley with 57.4 per cent of all cast ballots,
Polling Data
Do you think the state of Alabama should apologize for its role in slavery and the injustices of discrimination?
Yes | 45% |
No | 44% |
Not sure | 11% |
Source: University of South Alabama / The Press-Register
Methodology: Interviews with 400 Alabama adults, conducted in May 2007. Margin of error is 5 per cent.