“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” serves as a warning to remember and learn from the wrongdoings of the past and not make those mistakes again. However, President Trump seems to want to repeat the sins of the past, to whitewash our history by censoring facts about slavery and the genocide and displacement of Native Americans from museums and national parks which will allow the white supremacist narrative to prevail.
The erasure of this dark period of our history is not only a false narrative but consequently invalidates the resulting ramifications for Black Americans and Native Americans: disparities in income, housing, health and education compared to white Americans.
It also gives conservatives a pass from supremacist acknowledging and righting these disparities.
Trump’s censorship also ignores the invaluable contributions that Native Americans and Black Americans have made to our country, again perpetuating the white supremacist ideology that America was built only by hardworking white people.
We have much to be proud of in the U.S., but we are not perfect; no country is. In Germany, schoolchildren are required to learn about the Holocaust. This is not meant to shame them about being German, but to teach them what can happen when prejudice and false narratives prevail.
The truth about U.S. history is painful at times, but it is the truth.
When schoolchildren recite the Pledge of Allegiance, it’s imperative they learn that “liberty and justice for all” means everyone regardless of their skin color, ethnicity, religion, citizenship status, gender, sexual identity or socioeconomic status.
Let’s use all of the lessons of history, good and bad, to achieve the American dream for all.
Marjorie Mills
McCandless