how long? how long must we--
Jun. 16th, 2010 20:00![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starladyI was immensely gladdened yesterday afternoon to hear that at long last the official British inquiry into the matter has found every single one of the victims of the Bloody Sunday massacre perpetuated in 1972 by the British Army in Derry, Northern Ireland, to be innocent; Prime Minister Cameron called the murders "unjustified" and "unjustifiable" on the floor of the House of Commons, and apologized.
While in Ireland in 2006 I met a man who was present at the massacre; Jan. 30, 1972, was actually Tony's 18th birthday, and many of those killed were his classmates. Among many other things about growing up in the North and living in the Republic, he told us that of his entire high school class only three guys including him aren't in prison or dead. I actually looked for him in the photos of the people gathered in Derry to hear Cameron's speech; I'm sure that wherever he was, it did him some good at least to hear the British government acknowledge its soldiers' actions. Justice may be cold comfort, but it is real, and it is a real component of reconciliation, just as real and important as apologies.
Elsewhere in the Dept. of Long Delayed Recognition, the Shinnecock Indians of Long Island, N.Y., have finally been recognized as a tribe by the federal government. It only took 32 years for Uncle Sam to acknowledge that, yes, they've been living in the Hamptons since at least the 1600s.
Via everyone, to make a segue,ephemere's post Itys, about anger and speaking out (with bonus Aeschylus quotation!) needs to be read by everyone.
And viaoliviacirce, these posts focus specifically on writing: ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
impertinence on policing our own racism before it leaves our heads, newredshoes on how to write with consideration, and petra recs a story that does it right.
While in Ireland in 2006 I met a man who was present at the massacre; Jan. 30, 1972, was actually Tony's 18th birthday, and many of those killed were his classmates. Among many other things about growing up in the North and living in the Republic, he told us that of his entire high school class only three guys including him aren't in prison or dead. I actually looked for him in the photos of the people gathered in Derry to hear Cameron's speech; I'm sure that wherever he was, it did him some good at least to hear the British government acknowledge its soldiers' actions. Justice may be cold comfort, but it is real, and it is a real component of reconciliation, just as real and important as apologies.
Elsewhere in the Dept. of Long Delayed Recognition, the Shinnecock Indians of Long Island, N.Y., have finally been recognized as a tribe by the federal government. It only took 32 years for Uncle Sam to acknowledge that, yes, they've been living in the Hamptons since at least the 1600s.
Via everyone, to make a segue,
ephemere's post Itys, about anger and speaking out (with bonus Aeschylus quotation!) needs to be read by everyone. And via
oliviacirce, these posts focus specifically on writing: impertinence on policing our own racism before it leaves our heads, newredshoes on how to write with consideration, and petra recs a story that does it right.