After watching the Module 1 videos, I realize how much history has been swept under the rug and just how much I didn't learn about what has really happened in America in my history classes in high school and college. One of the things that shocked me the most to learn about was that Native American children were ripped from their families and put into adoption so they could assimilate to white culture. This was crushing to hear. It is very sad to think about how many more Indian Americans would be practicing their cultural values had it not been for the white man forcing them to lose their heritage. Growing up, I was always taught that America was a "salad bowl" referring to the way that America can have a multicultural society where people could maintain their separate cultural identities. I was told we no longer call it a "melting pot" because this would mean all cultures would be assimilating to the white American culture. As America progresses, we may be becoming more of a "salad bowl" than a "melting pot". Ideally that is the way things should be... but I can't help but feel that's not 100% true right now and certainly wasn't true years ago when I first learned the terms. I notice that realistically, there are many racist Americans that still idealize the "melting pot" more than the "salad bowl." In the grand scheme of things, not much has changed. Another shocking discovery when watching these videos was that racism doesn't just live on the surface, so to speak. It is rooted all the way down into the water we drink. It is mind blowing to me that our government allows, and influences even, for the black population to live in more polluted areas than the white population. It's sadistic and cruel. It is undeniable that those in power play a huge role in keeping racism in America today, and the sheep continue to follow. I can only hope that the people with the belief that white people are superior and deserve better lives, are a dying breed. I have much more faith in the younger generations today and those to come that we will continue to progress toward a more accepting and equal country for all.
I agree with you! For people in power to not only marginalize groups through legislation and governance, but then to knowingly dismiss their humanness by also allowing massive pollution in areas populated by these groups, is another form of genocide, Not as overt, but just as targeted.
You might be interested in a book I read. It's called Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen. The author is an historian who evaluated high school American history textbooks. He wrote an entire chapter about how racism is not adequately covered in American history classes. Racism came up in a number of other chapters throughout the book, as well.
Yes, thank you! I will definitely have to read that.
Thank you Kristin, I will check it out!