2020 Democratic hopeful Marianne Williamson is justice-oriented: At an event last year, she called upon the white people in the crowd to apologize to the black people in the crowd for slavery, lynching, and police brutality.

The Houston Chronicle apparently approved — its headline read “Marianne Williamson Asked White People to Apologize. She Got it Right.”

Here’s how the outlet reported:

Marianne Williamson walked to the middle of the stage, paused for a second, then she asked all the black people to stand. She then instructed a white person to hold the hand of a black person standing … Williamson then told the white people to repeat after her. She began with, ‘I apologize…'”

The way Marianne sees it, a massive mea culpa is more than called for:

Her focus was on racism and politics, claiming that until the United States addresses slavery honestly, gets deep about its enduring impact on African-Americans and makes amends, we will continue a cycle of hate and racism in this country.

…

A black woman stood up and told Williamson, who is Jewish, she was struggling to deal with the hurt and hate in her heart for white people because of racism. Williamson said one of the problems is that many white people are in denial about racism, don’t want to talk about it and want black people to “get over it.”

Here’s the prayer:

On behalf of myself, and on behalf of my country, to you and all African Americans, from the beginning of our nation’s history, in honor of your ancestors and for the sake of your children, please hear this from my heart…

I apologize. Please forgive us.

With this prayer, I acknowledge the depth of evils that have been perpetrated against black people in America.

From slavery, to lynchings, to white supremacist laws, to the denial of voting rights, to all the ways both large and small, that abuses have occurred — all of them evil, all of them wrong.

For all the oppression and all the injustice, I apologize. Please forgive us.

For the denial of human and civil rights, for inequities in criminal justice, for instances of police brutality, for the denial of opportunity, for economic injustice, for all ways that racism has fostered these wrongs…

I apologize. Please forgive us.

Slavery was a horrific evil. Police brutality — which has found victims among all races — is a scourge. Lynchings were disgusting.

Does politics address these? When it uses words to give an appearance of change where there is none?

Apparently, Marianne’s been practicing the prayer for a while — watch it in the video below, from 2016. I have no reason to believe her intentions were less than honorable when she wrote it. But what does the pageantry accomplish?

For racial unity in this country, hearts and attitudes have to change. A rally where Simon Says to say you’re sorry does nothing. And in the realm of politics, it seems to me, there’s an element of empty pandering.

But maybe I’m wrong. If Marianne can guru her way to We Are the World, I say let’s elect her.

-ALEX

Relevant RedState links in this article: here and here.

See 3 more pieces from me:

Joe Biden Puts On His Cool Clothes And Wokes Up: ‘I Respect No Borders.’ Can Ya Dig It?

Action Star Promises His Upcoming Movie Will ‘Constantly’ Address Toxic Masculinity

The American Psychological Association Creates A Task Force To Promote Polyamorous Relationships

Find all my RedState work here.

And please follow Alex Parker on Twitter and Facebook.

Thank you for reading! Please sound off in the Comments section below. For iPhone instructions, see the bottom of this page.

If you have an iPhone and want to comment, select the box with the upward arrow at the bottom of your screen; swipe left and choose “Request Desktop Site.” If it fails to automatically refresh, manually reload the page. Scroll down to the red horizontal bar that says “Show Comments.”