Whose History?

 WHOSE HISTORY?

A major conflict these days is the question of whose history are we going with today.  History moves around a lot.  It consists of one set of historical facts in one group and another set of historical facts in other groups.  An interesting example of this is currently occurring in Wisconsin where Francesca Hong seems to be a front runner in the Democratic Party governor's race.

She has been heard to say that Thanksgiving is a colonizer's holiday and Valentine's Day is a day "capitalism tells you how to show love".  Now you will have to admit that Thanksgiving is a holiday enjoyed by most of us.  But I do say "most of us" purposefully.  I have met several Native Americans that really don't have the joy that most of us do when we sit down to our Turkey dinner.

And let us not forget July 4th.  You really can't expect a black person to celebrate July 4th, now can you?  These different perspectives are what are now being attacked as unamerican and not proper subjects of education.  Iowa's government has caught the current tide of one America and only one America meaning the proper historical notions of what and who we are.

As much as our current administrations would like us to forget these various perspectives and join in their insistence that white, european people are the only people who belong here, it is untenable whether we like it or not.  This country is operated to a large extent by immigrants and if you don't think so, you are fooling yourself - go through a check-out line in your local grocery store or try to have a conversation with one of the guys roofing your house.

Our white American ancestors brought the black people to America.  Our white American ancestors brought the Chinese here to build the railroads.  These people were brought to this country to do things white people wouldn't do for either of two reasons:  There were not enough of us to do the work required or we didn't want to do the dawn to dusk work necessary.  Us white people are the reason that there are black and Asian people here; and, by the way, very few Native Americans.

And let us not forget the Hispanics (those speaking Spanish).  If one were to actually study a little history, one would quickly realize that the hispanics were here first.  Santa Fe predates Plymouth but you certainly wouldn't know it would you.  It was established as the capital of Nuevo Mèxico in 1610.  The pilgrims landed in 1620.  Who are we to tell them they shouldn't be here.

So I suggest we get over ourselves.  We live in a world that doesn't always fit our view and we need to understand that.  We are seeing a resurgence of our worst selves and we need to realize it now and acknowledge it.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo