"Do you think these historical events, rules, and laws still impact our society today? What are your thoughts after viewing these videos?"
Without question. It's disturbing and infuriating to learn, for the first time (I was unaware the history of delousing of latinx people at the El Paso border in history), of such cruel and inhumane treatment of black and indigenous people. These historical events and perspectives laid the foundation for a society that built and maintained inequality, prejudice, and oppression. Systemic racism is still pervasive today: The idea of redlining continues, "dirty" Mexcians is still a facial epithet, native Americans still lack many needed resources and their lands still pillaged (Dakota Access pipeline, and disturbing of ancient sites for mining without consent) the "China virus" and fear of Chinese people, the islamophobia and "Muslim" bans, "illegal immigrants" and family separations...to list a Few...
My thoughts after viewing these videos: It's heartbreaking what these people have endured for generations. It's disgusting and infuriating. I'm angered that this history is often omitted or glossed over in a history. I now find July 4th an ironic holiday, because the only people who were free were white people. What kind of nation was created in 1776? Who was it created for? If inequality still exists,how can we call America a free country when so many are still subjugated to systemic racism? I'm also embarrassed and ashamed of myself and fellow white people who've done little to recognize or address these injustices. I feel like I'm actually waking up in the middle of a horror movie, like Get Out, and asking people what happened in the first half of the movie. Quoting the Big Lebowski, "Donny, you're like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie and wants to know--" 😂😂😭😭 So, I'm confronting my fragility and sitting with it for now, but resolved to do better and educate others of what I learn here in this training.
