Seeking ‘peace on this earth’: Detailing the need for Alabama to offer a formal state apology

from Ben Greenberg's article in The Anniston Star:

Two local governments in southeast Alabama are expected to issue an apology for a 1944 rape of [Recy Taylor] a black woman by several white men, none of whom were ever prosecuted.

....Asked if the apology would also be on behalf of the state, Grimsley said, “We haven’t addressed that level yet.”

....“Clearly there should be an apology from the state here as well as the county,” said Professor Margaret Burnham, director of the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Program at Northeastern University School of Law. “Each failed to pursue the investigation aggressively and promptly, and more generally afforded utter impunity to white men who raped black women. Such a statement would not only honor Recy Taylor and her family for their courage and tenacity in seeking justice, but it would speak to scores of victims who similarly suffered in silence.”

Mar 29, 2011 Apology, Offender, Case:Hate Crime, Region: North America and Caribbean, Case:Sexual, Country:USA

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