A small, far-left Danish political party has called on the government of Denmark to apologize for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, St. Croix slavery reparations activist Shelley Moorhead told a Senate panel Wednesday.
Moorhead was testifying to the Culture, Historic Preservation, Youth and Recreation Committee in opposition to a resolution asking the U.S. Congress to set up a truth and reconciliation committee on the topic.
"Today’s headlines in Denmark read that the Unity Party asks Denmark to apologize for its slave past,” Moorhead testified. It is the first Danish political party to do so, he said.
The party, a coalition of several smaller parties called "Enhedslisten" or "Unity Party," or Red-Green Alliance, controls 12 seats in the 175-seat Danish parliament, making it the fifth largest party in parliament, and the fourth largest left of center party. It is a member of the current governing coalition of parties.
The party is acknowledging the V.I. Legislature taking up the question of slavery apologies and reparations, Moorhead said.
Reports in Danish newspapers, including the English version of the largest Danish paper, The Copenhagen Post, quote party officials saying the Danish government should weigh in before the V.I. Legislature votes on the bill.
"Denmark has a gruesome history with active involvement in slave trade," Unity Party foreign affairs spokesperson Nikolaj Villumsen said in a Danish radio interview, according to the Post. "An official apology is important for two reasons. One is to pay sympathies to the descendants of slaves and the other reason is to have a debate in Denmark about our slavery past," the Post quotes him as saying.
But that view is not universal. The far right party, Dansk Folkeparti, which has 22 seats in parliament, said that Denmark shouldn’t be held responsible for something that happened "200 years ago."
"That is completely nuts. You could say that these people should feel lucky that they are now American citizens in a free country and not in Ghana," DF spokesperson Soren Espersen told Politiken newspaper in Denmark.
The Copenhagen Post reported that Denmark has previously declined to address reparations
"because it could affect ties with the U.S." (See relate links below)
The committee was hearing testimony on a bill, sponsored by Sens. Sammuel Sanes and Judi Buckley, that would urge Congress to establish a truth and reconciliation commission. [Bill 30-0196]
Moorhead and several other testifiers, including Dr. Chenzira Kahina and former Sen. Usie Richards, said they opposed the bill partly because it asks Congress to act instead of creating a local commission, and because it is weaker than past resolutions approved by the Legislature.
The bill’s intent "is both contradictory to reparations for the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands and in direct contravention of the Legislature’s expressed intent and action" in a 2005 resolution "to condemn the institution of slavery and seek reparations from Denmark," Moorhead said.
He said he objects to Congress setting up the commission, reading from his prepared remarks that "it can and should be argued that "THIS is OUR effort," and, WE the descendants of the enslaved, those who suffered (and continue to suffer) for the establishment and administration any such relevant commission. As for your governor .. well, I gon leave ahyou mek da argument." (Note: The spelling here is from Moorhead’s written testimony)
Richards said "we should not be encouraged to go to the United States Congress to create an entity to speak on our behalf." Instead the Legislature could create a commission and name its members, he suggested.
Sanes said he developed the bill over the past decade, working with St. Croix activist Edward Browne, and he asked Browne to explain why it called for asking Congress to act. Browne testified that Danish government officials had told him in no uncertain terms they would not speak or negotiate with any nongovernmental entity or any component part or territory of another sovereign nation, but only with that sovereign government.
Sen. Terrence "Positive" Nelson asked Richards if he agrees it is appropriate to go to Congress or not. Richards replied that nongovernmental organizations could not negotiate with the government of Denmark, but the government of the Virgin Islands could act and he sees "no reason to wait."
Several testifiers suggested the territory needs a single, unified strategic plan for reparations and that the Legislature should get more input from local organizations while preparing the plan.
Senate President Shawn-Michael Malone joined the meeting toward the end, saying he would speak to his fellow senators and the governor and "see if a comprehensive approach can be worked out."
"Whether we agree or disagree that this is the way to get there it is important that we are sitting down to have this discussion," Malone said.
Nelson moved to hold the bill for further discussion and amendment. Voting to hold the bill for amendment were Nelson, Malone, Sens. Kenneth Gittens, Nereida "Nellie" Rivera-O’Reilly and Myron Jackson. Sens. Tregenza Roach and Janette Millin Young were absent.
Jackson and Malone said there would be further hearings on the topic in both districts.
Oh Please! I know this is probably not going to be popular but unless one is
either presently a slave or a slave owner, forget monetary reparations.
From Catholic Online:
“No person alive today has ever been a slave or a slaveholder, specific to African chattel slavery. Too much time has passed and the guilty as well as the immediate victims are all gone. Should the great grandchildren of slavers pay the great grandchildren of slaves?
If so, then where does one draw the line? When do a people stop being victims and become responsible for their own condition? Shall the nations of Europe sue France for Napoleon’s conquest? Shall England pay its former colonies? Should England sue Italy for the conquests of the Romans? You can see the absurdity.”
And what about slavery today? A new report claiming to be the most comprehensive look at global slavery says 30 million people are living as slaves around the world. Shouldn’t we be paying attention to them?
I would think in this day and age there are more serious issues at hand for our Legislature to be attending such as the economic decline we all face, especially St. Croix, and all the other problems that affect people that have not been dead for centuries.
“You can see the absurdity.”
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Actually, that’s the problem they either can’t or won’t. There’s money to be made or trying to be made by being a victim. Live in the past, be victims, take no responsibility for ones own life and situation. No, let’s blame it on slavery years and years ago. Let’s blame History. Hey, and while these “slave diggers” are flapping their jaws and carrying on, they might as well add the Irish Slaves to the mix . . . get some money for all the Irish Slaves, dem. Black people were not the only slaves on the planet, although you would never know that by all the foot stomping, whining and moaning.
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What a sad and pathetic joke. It would be funny if they weren’t serious but they are . . . worry about St. Croix! Not something that happened to someone 200 years ago. What’s happening now!?! St. Croix is becoming St. Cry! Fix NOW not History.
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You want some slave history? Here educate yourselves:
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http://www.revisionisthistory.org/forgottenslaves.html
I understand what you’re trying to say as far as wasting efforts to seek monetary gains from slavery when St. Croix has more pressing issues that need to be addressed. But what you must understand is that the actions of our past regarding slavery has enforced and enabled the oppression and discrimination of Blacks in America. Regardless of similar circumstances of slavery around the world, we are a part of the US and can/should only speak about issues that are pertinent to us. Though you may have been afforded opportunities to rise above outright or institutionalized discrimination, there are those who have not been given those opportunities. I think that people are concerned with trying to eventually be observed individually and according to merit and not generalized with those that perpetuate a stereotype of people looking for a handout. The remainder of your post regarding Catholic Online and by cgstx seems to favor the latter and maybe that is the inert and outright discrimination that talks like these try to address and counter to change perceptions. Just a thought
What I’m saying is that people need to stop living in the past and live in the present and stop being told that you can’t do something because someone is keeping you down. That is the money game of race pimps. If you think that you can’t get ahead because someone or some institution doesn’t like you because of your color, race, ethnicity then you need to get over that, over come that and move on. I’m not saying that it doesn’t exist. I’m saying that you must deal with it and stop pointing to the past, slavery, family, or anything else. Live in the here and now and move on. Here is a good example of what I believe spoken by someone way smarter than me.
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http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell102213.php3#.UnLuZlPjWEx
True that one mustn’t just dwell on the fact that someone or something is holding you down. And I especially don’t like when people blame slavery for every thing that has happened to them. That is why I believe or hope (and I know I strive for it) that people want to be seen as an individual capable and willing to succeed and not just clumped in with those that would be looking for a handout. The only issue is that being seen as an individual is clouded and mixed among the many voices. Those that have the drive will overcome that and move on as you say, but they are still a big chunk of people that don’t have the means and/or resources to overcome and move on. And that is based on historical perceptions from acts committed in the past that drive the actions of society today that hinders a person from living in the now and succeeding, whether we like it, want to admit it or not.
“they are still a big chunk of people that don’t have the means and/or resources to overcome and move on. And that is based on historical perceptions from acts committed in the past that drive the actions of society today that hinders a person from living in the now and succeeding, whether we like it, want to admit it or not.”
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Many people(s) have been enslaved, oppressed and thoroughly abused in every imaginable way (past and present). In America today, if you want to apply yourself and try succeed you can. If a person continues to make excuses for their inability to “succeed” in today’s America and blames that inability on the residue of events that happened 200 years ago then that person is a loser from the start. As Thomas Sowell put it so well “the bumble bees, not knowing the laws of aerodynamics, go ahead and fly anyway.”
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People today and young people, in particular, must decide if they are going to be a successful Bumble Bee or just another excuse ridden Drone.
wow.
Soren Espersen says “You could say that these people should feel lucky that they are now American citizens in a free country and not in Ghana” what an exceptionaly brutally ignorant thing to say. I don’t support reparations but that is truly ignorant.