*I claim no right or ownership of the above image. Image via history.com: Brian van den Brug/Log Angeles Times/Getty Images
Today is the last day of the 58th Annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee in Selma, Alabama. The year of 2023 has been somewhat of a bridge crossing year for me as well. I looked at the blog and realized that it’s been almost two months to the day that I’ve posted, and I apologize for the delay in posts. Hopefully, by the end of this post, you’ll understand why the delay occurred.
Back to Selma for a second. I’ve physically crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge numerous times in my life. Each time I’ve driven across that bridge, March 7, 1965 always comes across my mind. I think about the mental, physical, and spiritual courage it took for marchers to walk into what they knew could potentially be a life-ending event. I often wondered whether I would have had the courage to do what they did in the face of danger. I like to believe that I am strong in my convictions and would stand up for what’s right, but you never honestly know what you’d do until you’re in that situation.
Over my lifetime, I’ve made strong connections to Bloody Sunday in Selma. One of my aunts helped nurse John Lewis and other marchers after they were beaten. During the 30th anniversary, I got to have conversations with people who participated in the original march and the march to Montgomery. I even remember Gov. George Wallace’s apology being read at St. Jude School by an aide, not completely understanding the historical aspect of that moment. It’s surreal how you can look back at time not realizing how historically important things are when they’re taking place in real time.
The word History has several meanings depending on its usage. In it’s most basic form, the Merriam Webster’s definition, “events of the past”, sums things up very well. History cannot be completely erased, but it can be obscured and hidden. We’ve seen this happen time and time again throughout the history of the existence of the United States. Until you’re either confronted with it or it smacks you in the face, most people are blind to how much has been obscured and hidden. The whole right wing attack on CRT and such are perfect examples of how things are obscured and hidden.
I’ve been a student of history myself although I won’t ever claim to being a historian. I’ve studied the history of the US, both what’s told as well as the untold history. I thought I was hip to the idea of how much was not told in textbooks until I visited Pearl Harbor while on vacation last month. I’ll add the disclaimer that I didn’t get to go through the entire place because of time constraints, but it was a very humbling and emotional experience for the time my family was there.
One thing I noticed that was missing in the stories about Pearl Harbor was the contributions made by minorities. I saw a plane that President George HW Bush used as a trainer. I saw a B-29 which was similar to the planes used during Doolittle’s raid. I even saw a Japanese Zero on display. What I didn’t see was stories about anything done by Native Hawaiians, Blacks, or anyone else who was there at the time of the attack. We know they were there, but it’s almost like they were invisible, doing absolutely nothing to even save their own lives.
Why do we, as a country, tolerate or even allow the incomplete telling of our own history? Why do we allow the literal whitewashing of things to make it appear as though only one group of people have contributed anything of good to American society? We give Thomas Edison credit for the light bulb, but his light bulb wouldn’t last long if it wasn’t for the carbon filament that was invented by Lewis Lattimer. We know of Doris Miller’s actions during Pearl Harbor and the awards he was honored with. However, I don’t ever recall seeing his name in a history textbook in spite of all he did to save others.
I won’t accuse anyone writing history textbooks of intentionally whitewashing history, but the pattern is there. We know of the Jewish Holocaust and the number of people killed by Hitler’s Germany. Does anyone know of the number of Native Americans killed by America? Why do we not teach that part of our history? Why should anyone be ashamed or scared to teach and learn from past mistakes? Is it because people today still harbor those same biases against minorities? I thought we were a post-racial America now.
So, I realize that I’m at that stage of my life where I am mentally and spiritually crossing bridges. So, I will give fair warning if the tone, tenor, and/or tenacity of my posting changes in the future. I try to write from the heart while ensuring that I don’t write anything that jeopardizes either my family or my employment. I do not wish to be an embarrassment or hinderance to either.
However, I cannot sit and watch people attempt to erase history or contributors of history just to appease their personal shortcomings. So, I give a full-throated F**K YOU to the governor of Florida and his merry band of white supremacists who have created this fictional enemy of CRT and are actively pursuing a white supremacist agenda, even if he and his supporters claim otherwise. A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, and bigotry by any other name is still bigotry. The only way to get past things is to honestly discuss and teach history so we do not repeat it. Trying to change the past or act like things didn’t happen only allows the racism and bigotry to continue unabated.
If you agree with me, fine. If you disagree with me, fine. This site here will not shy away from history, even the bad parts. If that offends you, then maybe you should find another place to read. America’s day of owning its real history is upon us, so we may as well begin to cross that bridge together.
The Mind of Brosephus 