This apology from the United States government to its citizen, African-Americans, for the institution of slavery and the Jim Crows laws that followed is an acknowledgment that these things happened (Thompson, Hickey, and Thompson, 2017, p 268). This apology does not ease the torments and ill-treatments of African-Americans, but a formal acknowledgment of a grave wrong by this government may have a positive impact on the health and well-being of the receiver, as well as feeling morally vindicated. To acknowledge the past for what it is, is the first step in healing and moving forward.
