How an Apology for Racial and Ethnic Bias Can Change Everything

The first African slaves arrived in the United States in 1619 and slavery lasted for 250 years. A formal government apology to those enslaved and their descendants has not been made. We are seeing some signs of progress among American citizens.

You may have noticed the recent media coverable of public apologies for racial bias. Governor Kay Ivey apologized for wearing blackface at a party when she was a youth.

“I have been made aware of a taped interview that my then-fiancé, Ben LaRavia, and I gave to the Auburn student radio station back when I was SGA Vice President. I offer my heartfelt apologies for the pain and embarrassment this causes, and I will do all I can – going forward – to help show the nation that the Alabama of today is a far cry from the Alabama of the 1960s," it continued. "We have come a long way, for sure, but we still have a long way to go.”

 Alex Housden, a morning anchor for Oklahoma City’s KOCO-TV, offered the following apology after making a comment about her black male co-host resembling a monkey.

“I am here this morning, because I want to apologize, not only to our co-anchor Jason but to our entire community,” Housden said as she began to get choked up. “I said something yesterday that was inconsiderate, it was inappropriate, and I have hurt people. I want you to know how much I hurt you out there,” she said to the camera, before turning to Hackett and telling him, “and how much I hurt you.”

It is easy to say that the important thing is that each person apologized. In reality, the two apologies are not the same due to the impact. Let’s look a bit closer at why certain efforts to apologize for racial harm are ineffective and what it takes to offer an apology that is considered heartfelt.

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