Apologize for America's history of slavery, institutionalized racism, and harm they have done to our country.

For the first 89 years of its existence, slavery was legal in the United States. For a century after the Civil War, Jim Crow laws, given legal legitimacy by our nation's courts, were put in place throughout much of the country. Even after the Civil Rights movement of the 20th century, racism continues to pervade the social fabric of our nation. Its effects can be seen in prisons, schools, housing, employment patterns, and even political rhetoric at times. Although a single apology will never be sufficient to right the wrongs of America's past, it will send a powerful message that we as a nation do not condone our collective past misdeeds and that we will wholeheartedly strive to do better in the future. It will acknowledge numerous crimes perpetrated over centuries and against millions.