Just a few things to consider:
My family left Virginia back in either the 1830's or 1840's. As I've frequently joked about this, my earliest ancestor in California was invited to late night party in his home state, which he declined to attend as he didn't own a tie. (This was partially in regards to his habit of borrowing horses which he frequently forgot to return, usually after selling them.) No problem, his neighbors said, one would be provided for him, though as an economic measure, my ancestor's tie would be made of sisal, rather than silk.
We owned no slaves in our past. Our participation in the Civil War was limited. We derived little immediate benefit from slavery.
Except that there were times when my grandfather hired migrant workers to tend to his orchards near Wheatland, CA. And we stood silently as there were those of African ancestry who were being hanged for nothing more than a few spurious accusations by bigots and cowards. We did nothing to better the lives of those who suffered simply because they had dark skin. There was a lot of damage done because we chose to take no action when it came to those who differed from us.
Slavery would not have endured for as long as it did, nor would we have delayed so long in apologizing for it, had it not been for the fact that it was so profitable to so many. We may not have benefitted directly, but we still gained from the blood of someone living a continent away from us. That I had as much as I did over the years can still be traced with a heavy chain to the neck of a man I will never know, suffering in a field which has long since been converted to tract housing.
We bear some collective guilt here. It may be diluted, but it remains. Failing to acknowledge this guilt has led to some genuinely frightening things in our past, not the least of which was the racism which allowed a monster like Juan Corona to run loose here in Northern California. The rot set in long ago, and it's only been now that we've been willing to acknowledge that it exists. Contrast that with the actions of Germany, and it's painful recognition of the nightmare it permitted under the leadership of an Austrian-born xenophobe, and you have to wonder how we can continue to claim moral leadership.
Joshua's right on this one, dead right. This is a good thing. Overdue, but very good.
