Better Late Than Never?

[Overlay]

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/15106267/philadelphia-officially-apologizes-jackie-robinson-1947-racism

Sixty-nine years after the fact, the city of Philadelphia has issued an official apology to Rachel Robinson (now age 93) for the racism that her late husband Jackie Robinson (who died in 1972 at age 53) experienced while playing against the Phillies, and during the Brooklyn Dodgers' road trips to Philadelphia, where the team had to change its usual lodging accommodations in order to find a hotel that would accept Robinson as a guest.

[tucker6]

My take is that 69 years is three generations and a whole lot of social change later. Not sure I necessarily subscribe to "better late than never" after that long a time. What good does it do for those actually affected? Except for a tiny few, they are all dead. Sometimes, "let bygones be bygones" works better. I think history has already appropriately judged the deeds of those days. No need to rehash the ills of that era when that generation is dead on both sides.

Honestly, it's pandering.

[TJDave]

Honestly, it's pandering.

His wife and children are still here.
So, IMO, no.

[tucker6]

His wife and children are still here.
So, IMO, no.
you really think a 93 year old widow is stewing over the treatment her husband got in Philly in 1947? Why is Philly apologizing for something they didn't do? It wasn't the city that treated him poorly. It was two businesses. One a hotel and the other a baseball team. At the very least, the Phillies should have apologized long ago and to Jackie himself for that atrocious behavior. The city is apologizing because the film coverage in '42' makes them look bad. To me, that's a shameful reason to issue an apology. Do something because you mean it and not because you're trying to whitewash the sin.

[woodtoo]

Agree Tucker6 water under the bridge at this point in time.