By itself, an apology for slavery would do no harm but accomplish little. It would be a strange act of contrition, with the current president and Congress apologizing for a national shame that ended long before they were born.
Still, the prospect of such an apology has become real, with a dozen white members of Congress introducing a bill to that effect, and President Clinton considering it seriously. Given that circumstance, the debate shifts to different ground, especially since Clinton on Saturday formally began what he hopes will be a year-long national dialogue on racial and ethnic relations in this country.
The year of talk could be nothing more than hot air meant to make everyone feel good. Perhaps, though, it will lead toward something tangible to improve relations between the current majority group, whites, and a wide range of minorities, including blacks, Hispanics, Asian-Americans and Native Americans, among others.
What that something tangible could be isn’t known now, and may never occur. Maybe, however, the national dialogue could result in improved access for minorities to, say, graduate schools, jobs, bank loans for minority-owned businesses – and similar points of entry into mainstream America where barriers of various kinds still exist.
If that could be accomplished without relying on a racial and minority quota system, which is opposed by so many whites, and by some minorities, too, as a form of racism in itself, it could be an enormous boost for improved human relations. Clinton on Saturday repeated his commitment to fix affirmative action, not end it, and perhaps there’s a way to modify it to be effective without resorting to racial quotas.
Admittedly, that’s a long shot. Still, if something like it emerges from this year of talk – or something else of equal importance – then an apology for slavery could serve as an appropriate ribbon to tie the package. It wouldn’t mean much, but would be a nice touch.
As Clinton pointed out during his commencement speech at the University of California, San Diego, when the graduates reach retirement age in half a century or so, there no longer will be a majority race in the United States. By then, even more so than now, Americans will have no choice but to get along with one another under conditions of fairness for all.
If a year of dialogue helps move the country toward that necessary goal, fine. If an apology for slavery adds a graceful touch, fine. What Americans can’t allow to happen, though, is for racial and ethnic tension to fester and sink into fierce anger and violence.