Missouri State Rep. Rep. Talibdin El-Amin wants his state to apologize for permitting the practice until 1865.
From AP:
Rep. Talibdin El-Amin said Missouri should be one of the first states to apologize for slavery because the Dred Scott case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that black people in the United States cannot sue, originated in Missouri.
"That case set a legal precedent, and I'm looking for Missouri to set another precedent and be one of the first states to apologize for slavery," El-Amin, D-St. Louis, said Monday.
Missouri Supreme Court Justice Michael Wolff mentioned the Dred Scott case specifically last month in his annual address to lawmakers, calling it an "infamous" example of judges responding to politics rather than the law.
Virginia is considering a resolution that expresses the "profound regret" of that state's General Assembly for its role in slavery.
However, El-Amin may have some apologizing of his own to do.
From KDSK-TV last spring:
A St. Louis politician, whose ads promoting his campaign for the state house describe him as a "devoted father," owes more than $7,000 past due child support payments.
The past due support came to light last week, when the mother of the children wrote letters to reporters, complaining about the lack of payment, and asking something be done.
The politician is Talibdin El-Amin, currently a ward committeeman in the City of St. Louis, but is running for the Missouri House of Representatives in the 57th District.
Although this issue may be out of the scope Missouri government, El-Amin and his type should focus on the problems of contemporary slavery in Africa. Besides, Missouri state representatives aren't full-time legislators. He can campaign on this issue in his spare time...assuming his child care issues have been settled.
Technorati tags: Missouri politics slavery Africa St. Louis human rights
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