It’s been a week full of serious heartache here in the US (again). Racially charged hatred has been shining light on all that is wrong in American culture today and in the past.
As a historian, I’m reminded of past racial injustice. Not only the events surrounding the Civil Rights Movement, but the rampant lynching, political discrimination, social inequality, and slavery that America carries as a heavy burden from the majority of its past.
What a legacy of hatred.
Although I could go on to rant in just outrage at the behavior of those who perpetuate racism, bigotry, inequality, sexism, and the aforementioned legacy of hatred, I choose to instead learn and use my voice for those that are silenced. I choose to speak love to those of color in our communities.
When I look back at the historical (and brutal) racism of the US I’m reminded of the thought that so many express: the past was a simpler time. I think what people mean by that sentiment is that things seem, to our current context, to have been more straight-forward in times gone by.
I’ve never really believed in that.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve spent most of my life steeping my mind in history, but I think people form this misconception of historical simplicity because they choose not to see the complexities of the past. There may not have been computers, cell phones, or social media, which has certainly complicated our society in new ways, but there has ALWAYS been plenty of multi-dimensional social and cultural disparities to create conflict between fellow Americans.
The way I see it, America has made great strides in race relations; that might be hard to comprehend as we continually wake up to the senseless murders of people of color throughout the country, but as a nation we have come a long way from the systemically promoted racism of our history. Now that is not to say that we don’t have a LONG way to go, but in order to learn from the past we must appreciate how far we’ve come and therefore clearly see how far we have yet to go.
So this “simpler” past, the time that seems so void of complexity to many current Americans, includes a socially accepted, federally promoted hierarchy of race, physical brutality, ownership of other human beings (and treatment of those humans as livestock), constant threat (and regular realization) of physical harm, invasion of privacy, displacement, ban on upward mobility, demonization, and promotion of “facts” without any factual basis about people of color in our nation. And none of this even ventures into the realities of sexism, elitism, and the basic struggles of daily life felt by Americans of the past that simply weren’t the top 1%.
Our easily accessible windows to the past are more likely than not those which gave voice only to privileged whites. Movies like Gone With the Wind, The Birth of a Nation, Singing in the Rain, and Song of the South. Shows like Happy Days and My Three Sons. And other forms of media like books, newspapers, and magazine articles. Even if these stories were produced with the intention of shining positive light on the communities of color in America (like Uncle Tom’s Cabin, for example), they were still created by privileged whites.
The idea that times used to be simpler also overlooks the serious events of the past that we’ve all learned about in school. From the American Revolution to the many wars and battles over land (and horrific injustices committed in the name of America) as the nation expanded west, to the Civil War and Reconstruction, to World War One, The Great Depression, World War Two, and the many wars of the second half-of the twentieth century. From the daily challenges of food production, hygiene, recovery from natural disasters, disease, and deformity, to the lack of understanding about mental health until the recent past, history is complex. There never was, and never will be, a time that is simpler. Humans and the world in which we live, whether in America or not, are complicated and diverse. Understanding the past is an entire subject of study because history is complex. There is always more than one perspective of an event, ideology, or on-going conflict to be observed, understood, and placed in context. History, just like the present, is complicated and messy.
Thankfully, the complexities of the past can inform our future. As a nation America has strived to, and continues to, improve the lives of all. I don’t think we’ve even remotely succeeded. Not yet, at least. But we have made many positive changes. There is no longer an institutional or cultural acceptance of slavery, political discrimination, or displacement. We, as a body of Americans, no longer stand for casual or institutional racism. We fight back. We show love. We persevere. We stand together, despite our differences in ideology, life-style, religion, identity, and race.
So as we wake up to and attempt to digest the atrocities being committed across our country, I pray that we learn to genuinely celebrate our differences. I pray that we see the past in all of its complexities and make the decision to learn from and never repeat it. I pray that our focus as a nation shifts from a legacy of hatred (which can only breed more hatred), constantly arguing over our differences, to a legacy of productive communication, acceptance, and grace. I pray for those hurting and living in a state of fear. I choose to stand up for those whose voices have yet to be heard. Above all, I pray that those who have been silenced will speak volumes to the injustices of our country today and lead us to a more peaceful tomorrow.
