Slavery and Its Legacy: Facing Our Unhealed Past

MASS SLAVERY APOLOGY

What is Mass Slavery Apology?

This project grew out of an apology for slavery written by three white women between 2005 and 2009. Available both at this website and as a booklet, Facing Our Unhealed Past describes how the slave trade and the enslavement of Africans and Native Americans in this country’s first centuries created systems of racism, white privilege, and white supremacy that endure to the present. It concludes with an apology from “ordinary white people” to all descendants of those who were enslaved. Recognizing that an apology is meaningless without commitments to significant change, the apology includes six commitments to restorative action.

Since the statement was completed in January ‘09, the group has added two members, both men, one a man of color (who is also an advisor to the project) and the other white. We recognize that whites doing antiracism work must work closely with and be accountable to people of color, and have have received generous guidance from educators and activists of color in our work.

We take the commitments in the apology statement as our mission.

Our main projects at present:

- Educating others, especially whites, about racism and white privilege. In addition to this website and our apology statement, we:

Speak in the western MA area about working for racial justice, racism and white privilege, the Interfaith Pilgrimage of Middle Passage, and other related topics. We also facilitate around racism and white privilege – two barriers to creating inclusive communities.
Describe our work and/or table at events in the western MA area. We can bring part or all of our engaging display addressing racism, white privilege, and working for racial justice, as well as copies of our apology statement and other handouts.
Share resources and information through emails to our signers and others. (Contact us if you have not signed our statement but would like to receive our emails.)

- Seeking signatures for our apology statement. The statement is a powerful voice for racial healing, transformation, and education, and we invite people of European descent to join us by adding their signatures. We believe that the more signatures are listed, the more weight the statement will carry.

Mass Slavery Apology grew from many roots. Two of our members participated in the Interfaith Pilgrimage of the Middle Passage, and we have all attended Undoing Racism Workshops. We value our relationships with the advisors and mentors who have guided us on this project and cannot thank them enough for their generosity and wisdom.

Who We Are

The five members of Mass Slavery Apology are Sharin Alpert, Tim Bullock, George Esworthy, Teegrey Iannuzzi, and Annie Keough.

We have been helped along the way by many advisors and mentors. Our great thanks to those who have inspired, taught, and guided us in this project, including Ingrid Askew, Dwayne Brewington, Tim Bullock, Sister Clare Carter, Howard Clark, La Wanza Lett-Brewington, Enoch Page, Mustafa, Brother North Star Polaris, Kato Shonin, and Tall Oak.

~ Read our articles ~

A Vital Collaboration, by Annie and Sharin

Racism Hurts All of Us, by Teegrey

The Real Reason We Became White, by George

Contact Mass Slavery Apology if you are interested in collaborating with us or having us speak to your western MA area group. We offer workshops, displays, and presentations on our work, working for racial justice, white privilege, the Interfaith Pilgrimage of the Middle Passage, and related topics. We'd like to learn more about your work!

We welcome your feedback!