Editing Atlantic slave trade (section)

===Apologies===

====Worldwide====
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2021}}

[[File:Slave Dungeon - Osu Castle.jpg|thumb|Slave dungeon inside [[Osu Castle]] in Ghana]]

In 1998, [[UNESCO]] designated 23 August as [[International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition]]. Since then there have been a number of events recognizing the effects of slavery.

At the 2001 [[World Conference Against Racism]] in [[Durban]], South Africa, African nations demanded a clear apology for slavery from the former slave-trading countries. Some nations were ready to express an apology, but the opposition, mainly from the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United States blocked attempts to do so. A fear of monetary compensation might have been one of the reasons for the opposition. As of 2009, efforts are underway to create a [[UN Slavery Memorial]] as a permanent remembrance of the victims of the Atlantic slave trade.

====Benin====
In 1999, President [[Mathieu Kerekou]] of [[Benin]] (formerly the Kingdom of [[Dahomey]]) issued a national apology for the role Africans played in the Atlantic slave trade.<ref name="apology"/> [[Luc Gnacadja]], minister of environment and housing for Benin, later said: "The slave trade is a shame, and we do repent for it."<ref name="dahomey">{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2000/05/01/benin-officials-apologize-for-role-in-us-slave-trade/ |title=Benin Officials Apologize For Role In U.S. Slave Trade |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=1 May 2000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515162152/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-05-01-0005010158-story.html |archive-date=15 May 2021}}</ref> Researchers estimate that 3&nbsp;million slaves were exported out of the [[Slave Coast of West Africa|Slave Coast]] bordering the [[Bight of Benin]].<ref name="dahomey"/>

====Denmark====
Denmark had a foothold in Ghana for more than 200 years and trafficked as many as 4,000 enslaved Africans per year.<ref>{{cite book |last=Andrews |first=Kehinde |year=2021 |title=The New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World |place=London |publisher=Allen Lane |page=98 |isbn=978-0-241-43744-5}}</ref>
Danish Foreign Minister, Uffe Ellemann-Jensen declared publicly in 1992:
"I understand why the inhabitants in the [[Danish West Indies|West Indian Islands]] celebrate the day they became part of the U.S. But for Danish people and Denmark the day is a dark chapter. We exploited the slaves in the West Indian Islands during 250 years and made good money on them, but when we had to pay wages, we sold them instead, without even asking the inhabitants (...) That really wasn't a decent thing to do. We could at least have called a referendum, and asked people which nation they wanted to belong to. Instead we just let down the people."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Andersen |first=Astrid Nonbo |title="We Have Reconquered the Islands": Figurations in Public Memories of Slavery and Colonialism in Denmark 1948–2012 |journal=International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society |volume=26 |number=1 |year=2013 |pages=57–76 |doi=10.1007/s10767-013-9133-z |jstor=42636435 |s2cid=189952970}}</ref>{{rp|69}}

====France====
On 30 January 2006, [[Jacques Chirac]] (the then French President) said that 10 May would henceforth be a national day of remembrance for the victims of slavery in France, marking the day in 2001 when France passed a law recognising slavery as a [[crime against humanity]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4662442.stm |title=Chirac names slavery memorial day |work=[[BBC News]] |date=30 January 2006 |access-date=22 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408141716/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4662442.stm |archive-date=8 April 2023}}</ref>

====Ghana====

[[File:Cape Coast Slave Castle - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Cape Coast slave castle in Ghana]]

President [[Jerry Rawlings]] of [[Ghana]] apologized for his country's involvement in the slave trade.<ref name="apology"/>

====Netherlands====
At a UN conference on the Atlantic slave trade in 2001, the Dutch Minister for Urban Policy and Integration of Ethnic Minorities [[Roger van Boxtel]] said that the Netherlands "recognizes the grave injustices of the past." On 1 July 2013, at the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the Dutch West Indies, the Dutch government expressed "deep regret and remorse" for the involvement of the Netherlands in the Atlantic slave trade. The municipal government of Amsterdam, which co-owned the [[Surinam (Dutch colony)|colony of Surinam]], and [[De Nederlandsche Bank]], which was involved in slavery between 1814 and 1863, apologized for their involvement on 1 July 2021 and 1 July 2022, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amsterdam.nl/bestuur-organisatie/college/burgemeester/speeches/toespraak-slavernijherdenking-2021/ |title=Toespraak slavernijherdenking 2021 |language=nl |trans-title=Slavery commemoration speech 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225210602/https://www.amsterdam.nl/bestuur-organisatie/college/burgemeester/speeches/toespraak-slavernijherdenking-2021/ |archive-date=25 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dnb.nl/over-ons/slavernijverleden-dnb/excuses-voor-betrokkenheid-en-maatregelen/ |title=Excuses voor betrokkenheid en maatregelen |language=nl |trans-title=Apologies for involvement and measures |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712115543/https://www.dnb.nl/over-ons/slavernijverleden-dnb/excuses-voor-betrokkenheid-en-maatregelen/ |archive-date=12 July 2023}}</ref>

A formal apology on behalf of the Dutch government was issued by Prime Minister [[Mark Rutte]] in 2022 following a review by an advisory committee. Government ministers were sent to seven former colonies to reiterate the Dutch state's formal apology. Some activists continued to call for [[Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands]] to issue an apology.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Henley |first=Jon |date=19 December 2022 |title=Dutch PM apologises for Netherlands' role in slave trade |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/19/dutch-pm-apologises-for-netherlands-role-in-slave-trade |access-date=16 February 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224000453/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/19/dutch-pm-apologises-for-netherlands-role-in-slave-trade |archive-date=24 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2022/12/19/government-apologises-for-the-netherlands-role-in-the-history-of-slavery |title=Government apologises for the Netherlands' role in the history of slavery |website=[[Government of the Netherlands]] |date=19 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515203249/https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2022/12/19/government-apologises-for-the-netherlands-role-in-the-history-of-slavery |archive-date=15 May 2024}}</ref>

====Nigeria====

[[File:Slave Port, Badagry, Lagos.jpg|thumb|Slave Port in Badagry, Lagos State Nigeria]]

In 2009, the Civil Rights Congress of [[Nigeria]] wrote an open letter to all [[Tribal chief|African chieftains]] who participated in trade calling for an apology for their role in the Atlantic slave trade: "We cannot continue to blame the white men, as Africans, particularly the traditional rulers, are not blameless. In view of the fact that the Americans and Europe have accepted the cruelty of their roles and have forcefully apologized, it would be logical, reasonable and humbling if African traditional rulers ... [can] accept blame and formally apologize to the descendants of the victims of their collaborative and exploitative slave trade."<ref name=SmithGuardian>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=David |title=African chiefs urged to apologise for slave trade |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/nov/18/africans-apologise-slave-trade |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=1 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329020129/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/nov/18/africans-apologise-slave-trade |archive-date=29 March 2024}}</ref>

====United Kingdom====
In December 1999, [[Liverpool City Council]] passed a formal motion apologising for the [[Liverpool slave trade|city's part]] in the slave trade. It was unanimously agreed that [[Liverpool]] acknowledges its responsibility for its involvement in three centuries of the slave trade. The city council has made an unreserved apology for Liverpool's involvement and the continual effect of slavery on Liverpool's black communities.<ref>{{cite web |website=[[National Museums Liverpool]] |url=http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ism/srd/liverpool.aspx |title=Liverpool and the transatlantic slave trade |access-date=31 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929132116/https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/history-of-slavery/transatlantic-slave-trade |archive-date=29 September 2020}}</ref>

In November 2006, British Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] made a partial apology for Britain's role in the African slavery trade. However African rights activists denounced it as "empty rhetoric" that failed to address the issue properly. They feel his apology stopped shy to prevent any legal retort.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6185176.stm |title=Blair 'sorrow' over slave trade |work=[[BBC News]] |date=27 November 2006 |access-date=15 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508233451/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6185176.stm |archive-date=8 May 2024}}</ref> Blair again apologized on 14 March 2007.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6451793.stm |title=Blair 'sorry' for UK slavery role |work=[[BBC News]] |date=14 March 2007 |access-date=15 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326085934/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6451793.stm |archive-date=26 March 2023}}</ref>

In August 2007, [[Ken Livingstone]] ([[Mayor of London]]) apologized publicly for London's role in the [[History of slavery|slave trade]]. "You can look across there to see the institutions that still have the benefit of the wealth they created from slavery," he said, pointing towards the financial district, before breaking down in tears. He said that London was still tainted by the horrors of slavery. [[Jesse Jackson]] praised Mayor Livingstone and added that reparations should be made.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Muir |first1=Hugh |title=Livingstone weeps as he apologises for slavery |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2007/aug/24/london.humanrights |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=24 August 2007 |access-date=30 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404134610/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2007/aug/24/london.humanrights |archive-date=4 April 2023}}</ref>

In 2020, the [[Bank of England]] apologized for the role of directors in the Atlantic slave trade and pledged to remove pictures and statues of the 25 bank leaders who owned or traded in slavery.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 June 2020 |title=Bank of England says sorry for slave links as UK faces past |url=https://apnews.com/article/england-london-ap-top-news-slavery-international-news-c2b6149374a9532a748fd9cf0fbcc8e4 |access-date=10 July 2023 |work=[[AP News]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240131062908/https://apnews.com/article/england-london-ap-top-news-slavery-international-news-c2b6149374a9532a748fd9cf0fbcc8e4 |archive-date=31 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Jolly |first=Jasper |date=18 June 2020 |title=Bank of England apologises for role of former directors in slave trade |language=en-GB |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jun/18/bank-of-england-apologises-for-role-of-former-directors-in-slave-trade |access-date=10 July 2023 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107215914/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jun/18/bank-of-england-apologises-for-role-of-former-directors-in-slave-trade |archive-date=7 November 2023}}</ref>

====United States====
In February 2007, the [[Virginia General Assembly]] passed House Joint Resolution Number 728<ref>{{cite web |url=http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?071+ful+HJ728H2 |title=House Joint Resolution Number 728 |website=[[Virginia|Commonwealth of Virginia]] |access-date=22 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712111919/http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?071+ful+HJ728H2 |archive-date=12 July 2023}}</ref> acknowledging "with profound regret the involuntary servitude of Africans and the exploitation of Native Americans, and call for reconciliation among all Virginians". With the passing of that resolution, Virginia became the first of the 50 United States to acknowledge through the state's governing body their state's involvement in slavery. The passing of this resolution came on the heels of the 400th-anniversary celebration of the city of [[Jamestown, Virginia]], which was the first permanent [[English colonial empire|English colony]] to survive in what would become the United States. Jamestown is also recognized as one of the first slave ports of the [[Thirteen Colonies|American colonies]]. On 31 May 2007, the [[List of governors of Alabama|Governor of Alabama]], [[Bob Riley]], signed a resolution expressing "profound regret" for Alabama's role in slavery and apologizing for slavery's wrongs and lingering effects. Alabama is the fourth state to pass a slavery apology, following votes by the legislatures in [[Maryland]], Virginia, and [[North Carolina]].<ref>{{cite news |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna18961394 |title=Ala. governor signs bill apologizing for slavery |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510080339/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna18961394 |archive-date=10 May 2021 |work=[[NBC News]] |date=31 May 2007}}</ref>

On 30 July 2008, the [[United States House of Representatives]] passed a resolution apologizing for American slavery and subsequent discriminatory laws. The language included a reference to the "fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow" segregation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fears |first=Darryl |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/29/AR2008072902279.html |title=House Issues An Apology For Slavery |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=30 July 2008 |page=A03 |access-date=22 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240218052756/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/29/AR2008072902279.html |archive-date=18 February 2024}}</ref> On 18 June 2009, the [[United States Senate]] issued an apologetic statement decrying the "fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery". The news was welcomed by [[President of the United States|President]] [[Barack Obama]].<ref>[[Agence France-Presse]]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090624144341/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iyMeHvk7WyJys7iAyehSzik11Yqg "Obama praises 'historic' Senate slavery apology"]. [[Google News]], 18 June 2009. Accessed 22 July 2009.</ref>