One of the bigger (and more useless) debates going on in New Jersey right now is whether or not the state should officially recognize the evils of early American slavery and then apologize for slavery. This seems like a nice gesture and I guess there is no material harm done by issuing an official, “My bad,” for slavery. I do wonder, however, the relevancy of such an apology given that it’s 2008 and the slaves were freed in 1863…145 years ago.

Not only was no one who is currently alive on this earth alive back in 1863, but many people in America (especially the Northeast) are second and third generation families of immigrants. My grandparents on my Father’s side only came to America in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s! And, being of Italian descent living in New York City, they were subject to many types of racial and ethnic discrimination. Of course you never hear about the American-Italians asking for apologies or reparations…

So I don’t have an ideological problem with New Jersey saying sorry, but I certainly would not add my voice to that chorus. I have no reason to be sorry because my family wasn’t here during that time period and further, my “people” were discriminated against in their own way (I’m Irish and Italian – my “people” got beaten up in many different ways!). I am, however, somewhat sad to hear that this is what New Jersey legislators are debating. You would think lowering the state’s expenses, finding a way to equitably fund schools, saving the thousands of New Jersey homeowners who are stuck in bad subprime positions, and ensuring that suburban sprawl is minimized while smart growth is maximized would be at the top of the agenda. I guess not…