slavery

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An Emotional King Apologizes for Dutch Role in Slave Trade

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands' ancestors got very rich off the trade

(Newser) - King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands apologized Saturday for his country's role in slavery and asked for forgiveness during a historic speech greeted by cheers and whoops at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Dutch colonies, per the AP . The king's speech followed...

Juneteenth Is in Full Swing. Do You Know What It Means?

An AP primer on the federal holiday's roots, meaning, and evolution

(Newser) - Many Americans are celebrating Juneteenth, marking the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free. For generations, Black Americans have recognized the end of one of the darkest chapters in US history with joy, in the form of parades, street festivals, musical...

DeSantis Boycotts NBC Over Andrea Mitchell's 'Blatant Lie'

Florida governor's office says he won't work with NBC, affiliates until Andrea Mitchell apologizes

(Newser) - Ron DeSantis is fielding multiple apologies these days, but he's not buying at least one of them. The Florida governor has taken a lot of heat over his opposition to content in the College Board's new AP African-American course—and his threats to quash it , and all AP...

This Pompeii Home Stands Out From the Rest

House of the Vettii fully reopens to public after 20 years of restoration work

(Newser) - Two men freed from enslavement came to live a life of luxury in ancient Pompeii. Now their ornate home, dubbed "Pompeii's Sistine Chapel," has fully opened to the public for the first time in 20 years. The House of the Vettii—built in the second century BC,...

In 5 States, Slavery Was on the Ballot

And amendments to ban it and forced labor in prisons didn't pass everywhere

(Newser) - Voters in three states approved ballot measures that will change their state constitutions to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime, while those in a fourth state rejected the move. The measures approved Tuesday curtail the use of prison labor in Alabama, Tennessee, and Vermont. In Oregon, "...

Descendants of Man Behind Last Slave Ship Confront Legacy

Family calls actions of ancestor 'evil and unforgivable'

(Newser) - Descendants of the Alabama steamship owner responsible for illegally bringing 110 African captives to America aboard the last US slave ship have ended generations of public silence, calling his actions more than 160 years ago "evil and unforgivable." In a statement released to NBC News, members of Timothy...

America's 'Last Direct Link to Slavery' Has Died at 90

Civil rights activist Daniel Smith's father told family about the horrors of slavery

(Newser) - Daniel Smith, who may have been the last surviving child of an American born into slavery, has died at age 90 after a life so remarkable that a friend joked that he was the "Black Forrest Gump." Smith's father was born on a plantation in Virginia in...

Man Buys Home, Finds Out Ancestors Were Slaves There
Man Buys Old Virginia Home,
Makes 'Heart-Wrenching' Find
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
May 21, 2022 5:00 PM CDT

Man Buys Old Virginia Home, Makes 'Heart-Wrenching' Find

Frederick Miller discovered that his ancestors had been enslaved there in Virginia

(Newser) - A California resident who bought an old home in southern Virginia looked into its history and discovered that it was a property his ancestors would have been all too familiar with. Fredrick Miller found out the home he bought on a 10 1/2-acre property in Pittsylvania County was once on...

Harvard: We Benefited From 'Profoundly Immoral Practices'

University releases 130-page report on its connections with slavery

(Newser) - Harvard University set out to uncover and record "every discoverable connection between Harvard and slavery," reports the Boston Globe . The result—the product of three years of work by faculty and student researchers—is a 130-page report that makes clear that the connections were there, and persisted for...

Calif. Reparations Task Force: Not All Blacks Are Eligible

Group votes to limit reparations to slave descendants

(Newser) - California’s first-in-the-nation task force on reparations voted Tuesday to limit state compensation to the descendants of free and enslaved Black people who were in the US in the 19th century, narrowly rejecting a proposal to include all Black people. The vote was split 5-4, with those favoring a lineage...

A 'Stunning Revelation' About Wrecked Slave Ship

Clotilda has been buried for decades in a section of river that hasn't been dredged

(Newser) - Researchers studying the wreckage of the last US slave ship , buried in mud on the Alabama coast since it was scuttled in 1860, have made the surprising discovery that most of the wooden schooner remains intact, including the pen that was used to imprison African captives during the brutal journey...

MLB Announcer Apologizes for Apparent Slavery Reference

Jim Kaat made '40-acre field' remark about White Sox's Yoan Moncada during Friday playoff game

(Newser) - In the first inning during a playoff game Friday between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros, Jim Kaat made an on-air remark about one of Chicago's players that he says was meant to be praise. By the fifth inning, the MLB Network announcer was offering up his apologies....

Nationwide Events Mark Juneteenth
Nationwide Events Mark
Juneteenth
photos
Jun 19, 2021 5:10 PM CDT

Nationwide Events Mark Juneteenth

Commemorations include joyful parades, solemn artwork

(Newser) - There were solemn moments during Juneteenth observances Saturday, as crowds across the country marked the holiday for first year it's had federal recognition . Terrence Floyd unveiled a statue of his brother George in Brooklyn, USA Today reports, telling the crowd, "My brother was the sacrifice, so I need...

White Woman on 40-Day Hunger Strike Over Reparations

'My silence has allowed the systemic racism to continue,' says Rachelle Zola of Chicago

(Newser) - Chicago resident Rachelle Zola believes so strongly in slavery reparations that she's willing to die for them. Did we mention she's a 73-year-old white woman who didn't have a Black friend until 2015? "Am I willing to die for my brothers and my sisters when there'...

Bill to Make Juneteenth Federal Holiday Passes House
US Has a New Federal Holiday
Jun 17, 2021 6:50 AM CDT

US Has a New Federal Holiday

Bill to make Juneteenth a holiday passes House; 14 Republicans voted against it

(Newser) - The United States will soon have a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery. The House voted 415-14 on Wednesday to make Juneteenth, or June 19th, the 12th federal holiday, the AP reports. The bill now goes to President Biden’s desk, and he is expected to sign it...

Senate Passes Bill to Create 12th Federal Holiday

Juneteenth bill passed under unanimous consent agreement

(Newser) - The Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would make Juneteenth, or June 19th, a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. The bill would lead to Juneteenth becoming the 12th federal holiday. It is expected to easily pass the House, which would send it to President...

What Critics Are Saying About The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad
Is Being Uniformly Hailed
TV REVIEW
May 14, 2021 8:28 AM CDT

The Underground Railroad Is Being Uniformly Hailed

Berry Jenkins adapts Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel for Amazon Prime

(Newser) - An enslaved girl flees a Georgia cotton plantation and its brutal owner, only to be pursued by a bounty hunter spurred by his failure to catch her mother years earlier in The Underground Railroad , a 10-hour limited series debuting Friday on Amazon Prime Video. Just how good is Moonlight director...

Vote Establishes Commission on Slavery Reparations

House Judiciary Committee advances bill HR 40

(Newser) - A House panel advanced a decades-long effort to pay reparations to the descendants of slaves by approving legislation Wednesday that would create a commission to study the issue. It's the first time the House Judiciary Committee has acted on the legislation, per the AP . Still, prospects for final passage...

Jesuits Promise $100M for Slavery Reparations

Trust will benefit descendants of enslaved people, including those sold by Jesuits in 1838

(Newser) - The Catholic order of Jesuit priests has pledged to raise $100 million for descendants of the enslaved people it owned in what the New York Times reports is "one of the largest efforts by an institution to atone for slavery." The order relied on slave labor and sales...

No Marker Honors First Black Person Lincoln Helped to Free

Nance Legins-Costley's case influenced future president's views on slavery, historians say

(Newser) - It's not easy to trace the amazing story of Nance Legins-Costley. It doesn't fill history books, and even her gravesite is unmarked. But her role in history is significant, USA Today reports. In 1841, she won her freedom in a case before the Illinois Supreme Court. Her attorney...

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