George,

When I returned from Montgomery to Charlottesville I was greeted by the headline of the Daily Progress that said, "Kaine: Hargrove's Statement 'Outrageous.'" Reading the article I recalled how Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Ralph D. Abernathy, E. D. Nixon, myself and thirteen other persons organized the Montgomery Improvement Association more than a half century ago to oppose segregation on Montgomery buses.

Momentarily, I reflected on the fact that yesterday was Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday 2007, the day that Virginia House of Delegate Frank D. Hargove, Sr., in an interview with the Daily Progress speaking in oposition to a measure offered by Del. Dwight C. Jones head of the Legislative Black Caucus and his colleagues that would apologize on the state's behalf to the descendants of slaves, said that slavery had ended nearly 140 years ago with the Civll War and that "our black citizens should get over it." He also questioned whether Jews should apologize for "killing Christ."

Although Gov. Timothy M. Kaine characterized Hargove's statements as 'outrageous, very unfortunate' and did not reflect most Virginians he refused to acknowledge that [Hargrove's] statements, remarks by U. S. Sen. George Allen's using "macaca" to describe a dark-skinned Indian-American, or 5th District Republican Virgil H. Goode's warning of too many Muslims being elected to Congress were racial or religiously intolerance-based. That can only mean that the Governor is not listening to black people in Virginia and many non-black Virginians who know that these remarks are racist, religious intolerant and mean-siprited.

Fred Hudson, chairman of the Albermale County Democratic Committee correctly stated that Hargove is "an embarrassment to the commonwealth who needs to seek other lines of employment" and in taking issue with Keith Drake, chairman of the Albermale County Republican Committee who said that a resolution expressing appreciation "to recognize the significant contribution of slaves" would be more appropriate and positive." To that I ask: Why not include the significant contributions of slaves in our history books?

Recognizing the contributions slaves made and offering an apology to their descendants on behalf of descendants of slave-owners are not of equal value.

An apology is a justice matter and admission that a wrong has been done.

Recognizing the contribution that slaves made as a result of forced labor which they have yet to be compensated for remains odoriferous in the nostrils of black people.

Even an apology is only the first step that must be followed by making atonement, translated to mean reparations, for descendants of slaves.

To Hargrove's indenfensible statements that blacks "get over it" and Jews apologize for "killing Christ," the black response is best expressed in the Jewish response to the holocaust, "Never again!" and Jesse Jackson's mandate to "Keep hope alive!"

Uriah J. Fields (Electronic mail, January 22, 2007)