You may have heard that the Commonwealth of Virginia passes a resolution apologizing for its role in slavery. I must say that I am surprised and I applaud the Viringia legislature for this.
I work in Virigina and live in Maryland and that is by design. People around here have asked me why I don’t move to Virigina and I reply by saying that I could never live in Virginia. Usually they press and ask why. And I answer honestly. Virginia was the capital of the South and led the rebellion during the Civil War. I have ideological problems with that. While I don’t blame Virginians for this, I choose not to live there. I don’t want to pay taxes to a state that led the South during one of our countries darkest times.
I get incredulous stares. “You’re kidding, right?” they ask.
But I’m not.
“Forgive and forget,” they say.
This hurts because I am a big believer in forgiving and forgetting. But I simply know too much history and feel too strongly about this to simply forget about it. It’s easier said than done. It’s a matter of principle and I find that people have a hard time grasping this, so I prefer to not even have to explain.
But I think that Virginia’s recent apology is a step in the right direction. I don’t know if I could ever live here, but I commend the state’s leaders on this brave move.
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