These historical events, rules, and laws absolutely still impact our society today. Adult Native Americans do not know their biological parents/have lost connections to their culture, conditions at the US/Mexico border continue to be dehumane and individuals continue to advocate for disinfecting programs at the border, redlining has led to people of color living in low-income/poorly resourced communities, the racist history of American medicine is still celebrated with statues and has led to people of color having less trust in doctors/access to health care, and Japanese Americans are at a disadvantage because their homes and careers were stolen from them during WWII. As a White person, I am experiencing a wide range of emotions after viewing these videos. One of these emotions is shame for living in this country for 25 years, having a master's degree, and being unaware of much of this information. I knew America was built on racism but I did not realize that it is ingrained in EVERYTHING.
Watching all of these videos together makes it painfully clear how pervasive systemic racism is in our country and how it has caused intergenerational harm to so many people from so many different cultural groups. This harm continues today, both because trauma is passed on, and because it continues to happen. I have been thinking a lot lately about how busyness, priviledge, consumerism/capitalism, and a media culture that does not focus on remembering history contribute to keeping so many of us half asleep, so that even though I/we/white people may have been cognitively aware of some of these issues, we are able to shift our focus away from them and just live as if things are fine. They are NOT fine, and it is our job to to stay focused on how humans are being harmed by the systems we live in and to keep working to change them.
The videos were all very eye opening. I tried to remember back to when I was in middle and high school and if what I was watching today was the same information we learned back then. In my heart I sadly think we were never told the truth of what America was doing to people. It really makes you think twice how being a veteran educator, we need to do so much to rewrite the curriculum and textbooks that students are reading and using.