Tom Hanks: Stop whitewashing history to avoid discomfort for students

[StarfishSaver]

Last edited Fri Jun 4, 2021, 09:48 AM - Edit history (1)

One of the reasons Tom Hanks is an American hero and a national treasure:

Tom Hanks: You Should Learn the Truth About the Tulsa Race Massacre

By my recollection, four years of my education included studying American history. Fifth and eighth grades, two semesters in high school, three quarters at a community college. Since then, I’ve read history for pleasure and watched documentary films as a first option. Many of those works and those textbooks were about white people and white history. The few Black figures — Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — were those who accomplished much in spite of slavery, segregation and institutional injustices in American society.

But for all my study, I never read a page of any school history book about how, in 1921, a mob of white people burned down a place called Black Wall Street, killed as many as 300 of its Black citizens and displaced thousands of Black Americans who lived in Tulsa, Okla.

My experience was common: History was mostly written by white people about white people like me, while the history of Black people — including the horrors of Tulsa — was too often left out. Until relatively recently, the entertainment industry, which helps shape what is history and what is forgotten, did the same. That includes projects of mine. I knew about the attack on Fort Sumter, Custer’s last stand and Pearl Harbor but did not know of the Tulsa massacre until last year, thanks to an article in The New York Times.
...
How different would perspectives be had we all been taught about Tulsa in 1921, even as early as the fifth grade? Today, I find the omission tragic, an opportunity missed, a teachable moment squandered. When people hear about systemic racism in America, just the use of those words draws the ire of those white people who insist that since July 4, 1776, we have all been free, we were all created equally, that any American can become president and catch a cab in Midtown Manhattan no matter the color of our skin, that, yes, American progress toward justice for all can be slow but remains relentless. Tell that to the century-old survivors of Tulsa and their offspring. And teach the truth to the white descendants of those in the mob that destroyed Black Wall Street.

Should our schools now teach the truth about Tulsa? Yes, and they should also stop the battle to whitewash curriculums to avoid discomfort for students. America’s history is messy but knowing that makes us a wiser and stronger people. 1921 is the truth, a portal to our shared, paradoxical history. An American Black Wall Street was not allowed to exist, was burned to ashes; more than 20 years later, World War II was won despite institutionalized racial segregation; more than 20 years after that, the Apollo missions put 12 men on the moon while others were struggling to vote, and the publishing of the Pentagon Papers showed the extent of our elected officials’ willingness to systemically lie to us. Each of these lessons chronicles our quest to live up to the promise of our land, to tell truths that, in America, are meant to be held as self-evident.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/04/opinion/tom-hanks-tulsa-race-massacre-history.html

[MissMillie]

1. I had never heard about it either

and of course there were other race massacres--no mention in my schooling.

A huge failing on the part of American education.

[lagomorph777]

2. It's not students who suffer discomfort from the truth.

It's their parents. Students are mostly too young to have a lot to feel guilty about.

However, it can be awkward when they come home and start asking questions.

[StarfishSaver]

3. True

But student discomfort is the excuse given.

[lagomorph777]

7. Exactly. A weak attempt to justify censorship.

[grumpyduck]

5. Their parents, right,

but mostly I think it makes the politicians uncomfortable because they don't know how to respond, or are afraid to let voters think they're part of the system that made it possible.

[Caliman73]

45. We are all part of the system that made it possible.

That doesn't mean that we are all guilty of it having happened. However, accepting that we are all part of the system that made it possible, and still makes it possible for less conspicuous but similarly harmful things like George Floyd's murder, Philando Castile's murder, Breanna Taylor's murder, etc..., etc..., etc...; leaves us with a choice. Continue to say and do nothing about that system, OR Work to change that system, to get rid of those in power that benefit from that system and perpetuate it. It can be a difficult choice for many. They have to leave the comfort of thinking that they live in a just world where they have earned everything they have solely through their hard work and impeccable character, that those people who suffer, do so only because of their bad choices.

[bullwinkle428]

4. Of the myriad of race massacres that have taken place over the course

of history in the U.S., the first one I really even learned of was the one that took place in Rosewood, Florida. And that was because of the 1997 film by John Singleton, and I was already in my 30s at that point. These events have been shamefully ignored as part of the public school curriculum.

Quite honestly, the entire Reconstruction period needs to be much more thoroughly taught, as the backlash against it is what led to the "second tsunami" of white supremacy.

[sop]

10. I recall stopping at the roadside plaque along State Road 24 between Gainesville and Cedar Key

to commemorate the 1923 Rosewood Massacre. The incident was investigated by a Florida journalist in 1982, followed by a CBS 60 Minutes report in 1983, then Singleton's movie. Governor Chiles signed a controversial reparations bill in 1994.

[Ligyron]

22. Damn.

Then I’ve driven by it a half dozen times and missed it.

When I finally learned of Rosewood I thought it was closer to the Tallahassee area. But that just goes to show you I misinformed I was

[Johnny2X2X]

17. School never taught me either

Last edited Fri Jun 4, 2021, 10:52 AM - Edit history (1)

I had to seek out real history books after high school to learn the real history of the US.

And here's the thing, we need to not just learn about these massacres and what the settlers and US government did to the indigenous people here in the past, but learn how this history produced the direct results of the inequality we see in our society today. These events and actions echo in time, collectively they produced inequality and suffering that goes on today, right now, we can't change the past, but we can change now.

What happened in Rosewood and Tulsa directly helped lead to what happened with Derek Chauvin and countless other crimes of authority on minorities. What happened in those places directly effected inherited wealth for generations of African Americans. The effects of Redlining are evident in every city. The effects of a CJ system that was built as a vehicle of institutionalized racism affect every aspect of our current culture. The effects are now, you'd have to be blind to miss them.

My grandfather fought in WWII, when he returned he was offered cheap financing on the home he raised my dad in. My parents bought that home from my grandma when she got too old to take care of it. That same home provided a substantial nest egg for my parents when they decided to sell it and buy their retirement condo for cash. Because my grandfather was given the chance to use his GI benefits to buy a home for his family my parents now live in relative comfort in retirement and I don't have to worry about them moving in with me. Now I have a chance to build my own future. If my grandfather had been black, none of this would have been so easy. I'd have been more likely to grow up in a housing project, my parents would have been less likely to retire comfortably and I might be caring for them now. This is not something from a history book, this is something that effects our lives everyday whether we want to acknowledge it or not.

[AllaN01Bear]

38. school has never taught a lot of things .

wonder how much is " buried".

[LudwigPastorius]

35. "the myriad of race massacres"

Yes, while individual acts of lynchings and other racial violence were a constant, every so often angry, racist mobs decided they needed to kill a bunch of people of color.

A lot of the racism we see rearing its head today is directly related to this country not teaching and facing its past.

https://www.zinnedproject.org/collection/massacres-us/

[StarfishSaver]

67. Lynchings were rarely individual acts

They may have killed individuals, but lynchings were usually carried out by groups of people - often mobs.

[electric_blue68]

82. And the former guy giving "permission" to racists to...

really be out in the public especially outside of the Deep South.
(I was taught early on there were plenty of racists up here in Yankee land, as well! )

[Ferrets are Cool]

6. They should be taught the truth about the mass murderer and

child rapists Christopher Columbus. He was NO hero that we should be celebrating.

[malaise]

29. Just the truth

Plain evil

[Lonestarblue]

33. Nor did he ever set foot on land in the United States.

One more example of historical myths. He landed on an island in the Bahamas in 1492. He also traveled to Cuba and to the coasts of Central and South America. He had absolutely nothing to do with discovering the land that would become the United States. The only connection is that he landed on the continent of the Americas. If asked who discovered what became the US, I suspect that at least 80% of people would claim it was Columbus. The national holiday of Columbus Day needs to be eliminated and replaced with a national holiday for election day.

[StarfishSaver]

42. AND he was lost and confused AF

[Ferrets are Cool]

59. Agree 100%

[electric_blue68]

71. I'm in NYC with a large Itallin population - they *could* pick another Italian to celebrate...

so many talented people to choose from.

[JI7]

83. Like Anthony Fauci

[electric_blue68]

85. That's true! I was thinking Galileo, Da Vinci....

Dr Faucci might be a bit more difficult if certain groups
bring up his dedicated work on HIV/AIDS waaay back - allowing in the gay activists of the time into the research, committees etc after he was confirmeonted by them early on.
Regean turned away, but Dr Faucci didn't.

[JI7]

88. Galileo and Da Vinci have nothing to do with the United States. What you describe about Fauci

is the exact reason he should be honored .

But I know usually it's not until someone passes away that people honor them in certain ways. So hopefully it doesn't happen until a long time but he should still be considered a respectable figure that people look up to and for Italian Americans to have far more pride in him than Columbus.

[electric_blue68]

89. Ah, ok. I see what you're saying about Galileo & DaVinci...

not connected to us (USA).

[luvs2sing]

8. Was talking yesterday with a two friends..

who grew up in Tulsa. Neither one heard of the massacre until they were in their 30s! One of their husbands went to Booker T Washington High School and had never heard of it.

[PatSeg]

18. Seriously?

That's incredible and infuriating.

[Wounded Bear]

9. K & R...Tom Hanks is a national treasure...

American History has been highly whitewashed. Teach the truth!

[hlthe2b]

36. Indeed he is. I don't want him to go into politics, but I sure want him to keep speaking out.

and making the films that prevent those who would seek to diminish, bury or rewrite our history.

[Dream Girl]

11. This is their "cultural issue. Along, with defund the po"ice, BLMIt is Anti black hatei is at

The root. Anything to do with blacks will be weaponized

[JHB]

12. Tulsa, Red Summer, Reconstruction and the Red Shirts...

Every lazy racist thing I heard growing up, every "every other group pulled themselves up" comment was "justified" because these events had been erased from history.

Not just "forgotten." Actively erased.

[mountain grammy]

16. Exactly!

[thucythucy]

13. The first I heard of an anti-Black riot was in seventh grade--

it was the three or four day rampage in 1863 in New York City when white mobs burned down a Black orphanage, among other atrocities.

Union troops that had just fought at Gettysburg had to be brought in to restore order.

This, however, wasn't taught to me in class. I read about it on my own in a history book on the Civil War.

[electric_blue68]

74. you know I'm not sure if I learned that in school...

Last edited Sat Jun 5, 2021, 01:09 AM - Edit history (1)

or not. As a nyc'r in a liberal Art and Music HS we might have heard about it. I did learn about either then late '60s to late '70s.

I think it had to do with drafting more white men for The Civil War. I could be wrong.
A raging rampage it was - what ever sparked it!

[sop]

14. The whitewashing of American history is pervasive.

The extermination of Native Americans, the rise of labor unions, Jim Crow laws, women's suffrage movement and many other inconvenient facts are not taught in our schools.

[Elessar Zappa]

27. I actually did

learn about all of the above when I was in public school with the exception of labor union history.

[electric_blue68]

81. I just kept reading up on all these aspects throughout post HS in decades...

...and decades of various articles, occasional TV, or radio programs. Still do.

I should say I did get some of this in HS, but way more on my own later on.

[mountain grammy]

15. I learned about it on a show done by John Fuglesang

he spoke about a massacre where airplanes were used to drop fire bombs on citizens. I thought he was talking about 1985 Philadelphia, but when he said over 300 died and then mentioned Tulsa, I knew nothing. A little research took me there. That was maybe 7 or 8 years ago.

[OAITW r.2.0]

19. Trying to remember when I 1st heard about this massacre.

I think it was sometime within the past 10 years and I probably read about it here. It would be interesting to search archives to find out the 1st time it was posted on DU.

[eShirl]

20. I learned about it 1 1/2 years ago in the HBO series Watchmen

[genxlib]

31. Yes,

It is telling that one of the best sources of readily available information about this tragedy is from a show from a comic book.

That is a sad statement.

[llashram]

21. this!!!

thank you, Mr. Hanks

[sarchasm]

23. Bravo Tom Hanks!

[mnhtnbb]

24. My 12th grade American history class teacher took us on a field trip to see Gone With the Wind.

It was La Jolla High (San Diego public schools system) in 1968/69. The movie had been released to theaters and she actually scheduled us to go see it.

We never heard about ANY of the massacres/burnings of Black communities--like Black Wall Street in Tulsa-- by white people. Not a peep.

[cbabe]

46. New Georgia race law

will not allow Gone With the Wind viewing/teaching.

Make a list of all the white supremacy, rascist texts, etc. that are now outlawed in the schools. Including outlawing the teaching of the new racist law. Ha.

[hunter]

50. Oh, San Diego, especially La Jolla, talk about whitewashed history!

California, and Southern California in particular, has been held up as an example of successful diversity by some and hopeless liberal failures by others, but in reality the state has been and continues to be shaped by competing forces of demographic change and white supremacist reaction. Nowhere is this more distilled than at the very farthest edge of the country, San Diego, at the gateway to Latin America.

The Ku Klux Klan (more specifically, the Exalted Cyclops of San Diego No. 64) seems to have first appeared in San Diego in the 1920s as part of a resurgence across the country in reaction to an influx of immigrants and asylum seekers entering the United States after World War I. At that point, the Klan in Southern California functioned primarily as a way to keep Mexican and Mexican American workers terrorized out of any attempts at organizing or demanding better working conditions.

Later, the Klan’s rhetoric, normalized and slightly sanitized through popular media and newspaper coverage, informed the attitudes of many Americans toward the forced “repatriations” of the 1930s, when more than a million people of Mexican descent were sent to Mexico or simply dumped at the border. Later still, in the 1970s, offshoots of this chapter formed unauthorized patrols to round up undocumented immigrants in the direct predecessors of today’s border militias. They’re more than just historical echoes: The first “civilian border patrol” was a publicity stunt dreamed up in 1977 by Duke, then-KKK leader.

--more--

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/04/29/white-supremacist-violence-has-long-history-san-diego/

San Diego is not unfamiliar to me. I have family history there. I have personal history there.

I grew up in a similar 99% white California hell. The place was kept white even after redlining and other forms of discrimination were outlawed. Real estate agents wouldn't show houses to the "wrong" sorts of people, landlords wouldn't rent to them, lenders wouldn't approve loans, and police and shopkeepers harassed them. Most of this was invisible to "colorblind" white people, many who considered themselves liberal but voted for Ronald Reagan nevertheless.

Some of my teachers probably wished they could teach honest accounts of history, biology, and human sexuality but they probably feared for their careers, if not explicitly, then subconsciously as a gut feeling. School textbooks were thoroughly whitewashed, and arranged to be as inoffensive as possible to Patriotic White Evangelical Christians. (Can be made into an acronym pronounced as Elmer Fudd would say "pricks.&quot



My parents were there for the work. As artists they couldn't be too picky about their day jobs. When my dad retired my parents left. Me and all my siblings left. I haven't lived in white majority communities for most of my life now.

My own children, who passed AP history in high school with perfect scores, were fortunate to have a history teacher who did not hold back.

Myself, I was permanently scarred by the California Mission myths.

That misguided fool Junípero Serra did not make the world a better place.

[StarfishSaver]

69. Our class also went to see "Gone WIth the Wind" but I ruined it when

I insisted on telling the teacher and my classmates that the beloved Ashley Wilkes was a Klansman and the "political meeting" he, Frank Hamilton and Dr. Meade attended was actually a Klan gathering from which they planned to lynch the Black men in the shantytown (they called it "cleaning out&quot .

I had a few other fun facts with them, but by then, they weren't interested, just pissed off that I had insisted on telling uncomfortable truths.

That still happens to this day.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

25. I think it would be interesting to hear from people

Who actually developed curriculum for schools and school books. I'd like to understand where they were coming from. We always grew up thinking America was really perfect we always did the right thing. We didn't ever do anything bad. Was it nefarious that curriculum was built like this? Or rather a belief, a strong belief that children should be worry free from bad things. I tend to think it may be the latter? Kind of like when your parents never told you about any kind of money worries when you were a kid. And you have to tie in what kind of TV shows were out there. All the picture perfect families and homes. To me it was like the whole culture was like that not just textbooks.

[UpInArms]

90. I remember that Hartcourt was the publisher for most of the textbooks

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harcourt_(publisher)

[Laura PourMeADrink]

92. Thanks for link. Found another article too that

Describes a lot of the events that were left out.

Interesting passage:

As a history teacher, I can tell you that our textbooks are not designed to teach history. No, let me rephrase that: our textbooks are not designed to teach our true history. Textbooks are written by companies to sell at a profit. So textbook companies are really careful about what they put into textbooks because they want to sell a whole lot of textbooks to Texas, for example. The Texas State Board of Education chooses the textbooks that will be used by every student in the state. Therefore, textbook companies make the books palatable to Texas in order to sell as many books as possible.
Even if you have never lived in Texas, you know about the Alamo. Ever wonder why the Alamo gets a whole lot of patriotic treatment? Thank Texas.

https://bdjanu.medium.com/race-and-the-whitewashing-of-history-in-our-textbooks-501a15ddb181

[Rocknation]

26. It's not about avoiding discomfort

It's about avoiding accountability -- that's for "the little people."


rocktivity

[Blue Owl]

28. K&R

[Marcuse]

30. America's creation myth and other race theories need to be criticized.

[not fooled]

87. Says Marion Morrison

Talk about myths.

[Loki Liesmith]

32. If Tulsa Massacre had happened in NY you would have heard of it

There is a geographical bias here.

[StarfishSaver]

34. I don't agree

The reason you think we would have heard about it is that New York was and is a very different place than Oklahoma, with different leadership, population and culture. But those differences are also the reason that it DIDN'T happen there and likely would not have.

If it had happened in New York, that would have meant that New York was a very different place than it actually was - more like Oklahoma - and that difference would have likely resulted in the same outcomes, including the historical whitewash.

That said, New York is not immune to historical revisionism, whitewashing and erasure. For example, how many people know about Robert Moses?

[Lucky Luciano]

47. Not so sure...the 1863 riots in NYC aren't heavily covered either.

[StarfishSaver]

49. Good point

New York isn't as different from Oklahoma as some assume - it's a matter of degrees, not that it doesn't have many of the same problems.

[Carlitos Brigante]

57. Oh right! I'm sure that's the fucking problem here. How about Rosewood? Have people heard of

this strange land called Florida? How about the so called "Red Summer" in Chicago? How well is that covered in school?

[Loki Liesmith]

62. Settle down.

Don’t put words in my mouth please. In the end they are still your own.

[Carlitos Brigante]

64. Definitely my interpretation of what you wrote. Maybe, try being precise. Because that shit sounds

dismissive as hell.

[Loki Liesmith]

61. That looks like a personal attack

[CrispyQ]

37. An excellent & thoughtful commentary.

My own education on Black history was maybe a couple of hours worth, & atrocities like Tulsa were never mentioned.

[Chainfire]

39. Florida did an encore a couple of years later.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosewood_massacre

[marie999]

40. I went to elementary school in the 50s. The school was named the William Lloyd Garrison School.

We were never taught about him, slavery, or the way indigenous people were treated.

[AllaN01Bear]

41. what we have been schooled about the usa is a myth. that myth came ahead on 1/6

where we nearly lost it.

[StarfishSaver]

43. And most of the fight for civil rights and social justice

is really just an attempt to help America live up to the myth it operates under. Instead of attacking Blacks and other minorities for agitating for change, white Americans should be in awe of us for believing in and loving this country enough to push it to do better - something too few of them are willing to do, despite all their big talk about freedom, liberty and justice for all

Instead, many of them would rather kill us than allow this country to evolve into the nation they claim it already is.

January 6 is a perfect example, but, by no means, the only one.

[El Shaman]

44. History of America by Howard Zinn

“The treatment of heroes (Columbus) and their victims (the Arawaks)-the quiet acceptance of conquest and murder in the name of progress-is only one aspect of a certain approach to history, in which the past is told from the point of view of governments, conquerors, diplomats, leaders. It is as if they, like Columbus, deserve universal acceptance, as if they-the Founding Fathers, Jackson, Lincoln, Wilson, Roosevelt, Kennedy, the leading members of Congress, the famous Justices of the Supreme Court-represent the nation as a whole. The pretense is that there really is such a thing as "the United States," subject to occasional conflicts and quarrels, but fundamentally a community of people with common interests. It is as if there really is a "national interest" represented in the Constitution, in territorial expansion, in the laws passed by Congress, the decisions of the courts, the development of capitalism, the culture of education and the mass media. “

Credit: http://www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistory.html

[llmart]

68. I've always thought his book should be used to teach American History.

But I doubt most school boards would approve. They like to keep the myth of American "greatness" alive.

[BobTheSubgenius]

48. The residents of Greenwood were guilty of the worst crime against society.

Succeeding While Black.

[Solly Mack]

51. K&R

[Blanks]

52. Arkansas had the 'Elaine Massacre' a couple of years before...

I hadn’t heard of it until recently, which is kind of a shame because we lived a stones throw from where the attorney most known for guiding the appeals of twelve African American men who were condemned to death after the incident in Elaine.

Scipio Jones was born into slavery and had a distinguished career. His life story would make for an interesting documentary. Sadly, his house stands in a state of disrepair in an old neighborhood in Little Rock.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scipio_Africanus_Jones
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_massacre

[electric_blue68]

80. Woah, just read some of that (Elaine Massacre). :(

Totally new to me.

[DallasNE]

53. History Books Are Indeed Selective

And made all the worse by coming out of Texas where the whitewash really takes place. Indeed, I had not heard of Tulso 1921 until a few years ago. They also mostly leave out events like Wounded Knee and the genocide of Native Americans. Yes, much of that was disease from Europe but how many were killed in the Indian wars? It was substantial. And the squalor left behind on the Indian reservations is sickening to this very day.

I applaud Tom Hanks for shedding light on the glaring omissions in our history books because of not wanting to offend white Americans.

[electric_blue68]

86. Some of the Bush Family had (has?) connections to the Texas school book publishers

[Dan]

54. not discomfort for the students, discomfort for the parents.

[Crowman2009]

55. In addition to that when I was a high school student in Michigan back in the 90's. We were told...

...very little about the 67' Riot in the Detroit, nor was "red-lining" ever mentioned.

[Beartracks]

56. Not wanting to offend STUDENTS? Or conservatives' inflated EGOS and DELUSIONS of grandeur?

[Silver Gaia]

60. I first learned about the 1921 Tulsa Massacre in Oct 2019 in the pilot episode of Damon Lindelof's

Last edited Sat Jun 5, 2021, 05:08 AM - Edit history (1)

HBO adaption of Watchmen starring Regina King. Yes, in science fiction. Tulsa was the setting, and the events of 1921 were a large part of the plot, with frequent flashbacks. That show ended up winning 11 Emmys, including Outstanding Limited Series and Lead Actress and Lead Actor in that category for Regina King and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. The opening scenes are set just prior to and then during the events of 1921. It was an eye-opener for me. I had to Google to find out if this really happened or was fiction. I was shocked to find out it was true and wondered why I had never known about it before. I remember Regina King saying she took the part despite the writer and showrunner being white because she felt that Damon Lindelof was the only white man she trusted to tell this story. They worked well together.

Anyway, I say this because I am surprised no one has mentioned this that I've seen or heard. If you love science fiction, you might want to check it out. Some of it isn't fiction of any sort.

[eShirl]

66. I loved Skip Gates' cameo

that was great

[catchnrelease]

78. A real fluke

I've had Watchman on my 'to watch' list for over a year. I didn't know exactly what it was about other than it was something about masked superheroes or something like that. Figured it was similar to The Boys. I finally picked it off my list and watched it this past Weds night and was shocked to see that it was based on the Tulsa history. With all of the recent news about the anniversary of the massacre lately it was kind of eerie to see the program start out with that exact event. It kind of took me back a bit.

I had not heard or learned of the Tulsa massacre before, but somewhere along the way I did know about Rosewood. Not from school, but I think it was part of a movie if I remember right. So I did know what greedy bigots are capable of. Extra sad to think that there were more than one of these incidents. (None of those events were a real surprise as I've read extensively about the history of US vs Indigenous peoples.)

There was also a plot line of an attack on a Black town in the series Lovecraft Country. It was way more sci-fi/horror, but it did bring in that kind of event. It's been awhile since I watched that so I don't remember if the town was actually supposed to be Tulsa or not. They also had the lynching of a young man that was called 'Emmit'.

[gldstwmn]

63. He eats babies!

He's right but I imagine this will be the response of many to this.

[soldierant]

65. No, I didn't learn about it in school.

I learned about it from Denise Oliver Vellez at Daily Kos a couple of years ago ... and I am 75, which means I spent a whole lot of years not knowing about it.

As for other massacres ... it only takes a little googling and a few minutes with Wikipedia and the ability to count to learn that, since 1865, the United States has not been able to achieve five consecutive years without some kind of massacre of people of color (and most are much closer together than that.

And it seems the racism is getting ever more blatant. Can you imagine cutting off the mike of a distinguished veteran who, giving a speech, dared to mention that the first observance of what eventually became Memorial Day was initiated and executed by newly freed slaves? (and that observance was definitely no picnic - it involved disinterring a mass grave of Union POWs and ensuring each one received an individual burial with appropriate ceremony. He wasn't asking anyone to do that - just to listen to it.)

The more one learns of the history of how "white" people have treated people of color in the United States, the more it will break one's heart. But if you aren't willing to face it, you have a heart of stone.

I did hear a little bit about lynchings and the KKK in school - but only a little bit - and I'm not really sure I was taught it - I've always read a lot more than i was expected to, and may have learned it that way.

[Red Mountain]

70. Anybody heard of Wilmington, NC?

It's cut from the same cloth and predates Tulsa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmington_insurrection_of_1898


How many more events like this are there?

[electric_blue68]

84. Yes, I read some stuff last year on line from The Root

[BlancheSplanchnik]

72. I'd never heard of it until it recently received public attention.

I’m sickened.

[electric_blue68]

73. Good on you, Tom H! I didn't learn it either, and my HS reading included...

Last edited Sat Jun 5, 2021, 01:05 AM - Edit history (1)

... at least "Black Boy" , something by Franz Fanon, possiblly the Autobiography of Malcolm X (or I read it later) back in the late '60s.

I think aI heard about Greenwood in early '00s or '10 probably on local public radio. And not too much later Rosewood.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

75. Republicans can't handle the truth. Their whole brand is built on lies.

As is White supremacy. The truth won't necessarily set anyone free (just ask Kevin Strickland https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article251849288.html), but it's still worth fighting for and spreading.

[ecstatic]

76. Students are not uncomfortable. They're not babies like their

(racist?) parents.

[StarfishSaver]

77. Maybe not

But their racist parents were students once, learning similar curricula from some of the same teachers not so very long ago ... so

[MustLoveBeagles]

79. K&R

[ms liberty]

91. Great op ed by Mr Hanks. A number of excellent comments in the thread, too