Real history is needed for a just society
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Editor,
The American Experiment has been a fascinating story and a study in contrasts. We have proven to the world that a democratic republic can work; it provided opportunity for immigrants who faced poverty and oppression at home; it fought a powerful fascist movement and won; and it made our country an engine of innovation.
There is a great deal to be proud of.
It is not the fault of anyone living today that our economic success was at one time deeply tied to the institution of slavery or that the fruits of that success have not been extended fairly to the descendants of those who were enslaved.
In fact, many people of all backgrounds were allies in another great American accomplishment – the Civil Rights movement – and today, few people would say that racial discrimination was ever justified. That does not mean, sadly, that the effects of discrimination do not live on as they do in decreased capital wealth, healthcare disparities, unequal treatment in the justice system and decreased education and opportunities.
That’s it: the basics of what some academics call Critical Race Theory but what the rest of us might just call the Real History that we need in order to understand our nation and to grow into a more just and fair society.
We should be teaching this history in our schools, just as we should teach the experiences of Native Americans, Chinese, Hispanics, European immigrants and women, as we forged a great nation from one which was created long ago for the benefit of white men who owned property.
Gail Trenfield
St. Ignatius
