Tom et al.: It's not about history. It's about heritage. It's not about the past. It's about the present and future. Does an apology for slavery change anything that's already happened? Of course not. Can it still have symbolic importance for the group seeking it? Yes. The irony in Hargrove's comment that Virginia blacks should just "get over it [i.e., slavery]" is that the man doesn't have a clue as to why an apology would matter. In asking for one, supporters are doing precisely what Hargrove says he wants them to do. An apology would help them "get over it," because it would signify the attainment, at long last, of some common ground by Virginia's whites and blacks on the most tangled issues of their intertwined histories. An apology for slavery is a means of reconciliation, not some magic spell that will undo centuries of tyranny and agony. The adamant refusal of some to consider reconciliation on such a matter is telling. It is not easy to fabricate a shared heritage for blacks, whites, Indians, and others. On what terms will the majority of the American people accept blacks into the fold as equals? Must they (blacks) agree to forget about slavery? Is this the price of inclusion? Must Indians "get over" dispossession and depopulation? When former Confederates and their devotees sought to dwell on a glorious "Lost Cause," most northerners indulged them in this conceit. They were not advised to "get over it." Are we on the same page? Are we truly ready to tackle the social problems of the present that have proved so intractable and divisive? Should we be optimistic about the possibilities of working together when the group that has long held the reins of power cannot be persuaded to make even a symbolic concession to the historical memory and legacies of the "descendants of slaves"? What's worse, the request for an apology is caricatured as "political correctness"... as if the supplicants were actually in charge. One begins to understand the frustration of earlier generations of black activists who could not get broad support for anti-lynching legislation. Are we one people, comprised of many? Do we want liberty and justice for all, or not? Doug Deal To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html