DRAFTJS_BLOCK_KEY:7frgu
Author: 10 Tampa Bay
Published: 12:50 PM EDT September 3, 2020
Updated: 5:52 PM EDT September 3, 2020
TAMPA, Fla. — The City of Tampa has issued an apology for its racist past. In a vote Thursday, the City Council passed a Resolution for Racial Reconciliation that formally acknowledges the city's history of slavery and denounces discrimination against the Black community. In a statement on Twitter, the city said "we must learn from our past and build a better future that promotes racial and social equity in all forms."
Mayor Jane Castor also issued a statement, saying the city takes "accountability" for its past and recognizes "the damage caused" by some of the "worst chapters in our history."
"It is important that as a City, we take accountability for our past and recognize the damage caused by some of the worst chapters in our history," Castor said. "We are moving forward as a more compassionate, caring, and inclusive community, which means we must acknowledge the pain caused by centuries of discrimination and racial inequality -- pain that was felt by generations of black families and that we are still healing from today. We can't undo history, but we can educate ourselves on our past, recognize its impacts on our present, and more forward together towards a more inclusive, just, and equitable future for all."