Dear Mr. President,
This month in Virginia is, apparently, Confederate History Month. I've spent my entire life in a state that didn't exist during the civil war, but, being about as far North as you can get in the lower 48, I grew up naively assuming that Washington and Washingtonians would generally have supported the Union, if only for geographic reasons. This is why I was surprised when, as a sophomore, I discovered that enough students had been wearing the Confederate flag, on jackets and T-shirts and hats, that my high school had to ban it. I often saw it still on cars in the parking lot, and wondered, frequently, where this fascination with the old Confederacy came from. The controversy over the South Carolina statehouse in 2000 seemed equally troubling, but at least I understood the historical relevance of the Old South to that state. That it continues in Virginia indicates that, even today, many Americans still cling to the era and its culture.
Maybe it is insensitive of me, but simply I do not understand this continued hold that the Confederacy seems to have over the hearts of many Americans. Can't we put that chapter of our history to rest? The war may not have been entirely about slavery, but it is impossible to credibly separate the legacy of the Confederacy from the bloody and brutal enslavement of Africans; the single greatest shame of our Nation's history aside from the annihilation of Native Americans. Why the fondness, reverence, even, for this history and those crimes? The Virginia Governor's decision to devote an entire month to Confederate history must be truly an affront to much of his state's citizens, and especially to the African American community. It also speaks toward an unsettling resurgence of pro-secessionist rhetoric, which seems to be increasingly acceptable in modern political discourse.
I think that the history and culture of the old south can be preserved and respected without celebrating the secession, slavery and war that tore apart our country and wasted or ruined hundreds of thousands, if not millions of lives. A rejection of the racism, divisiveness and destruction that defined the Civil War should be something that all Americans can agree on.
Respectfully yours,
Kelsey
Showing posts with label slavery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label slavery. Show all posts
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Day 33
Dear Mr. President,
It seems as though your administration is going out of its way to upset China this week. Selling arms to Taiwan? Announcing plans to meet with the Dalai Lama? I think these actions are admirable, they demonstrate mature wisdom and the courage of your convictions about human rights. You say that, because our relationship with China is an adult relationship, we can disagree publicly without jeopardizing diplomatic relations. Our disagreements do not demonstrate a lack of respect.
Why is this not true of the US and Israel? Why can we not demonstrate the same maturity, the same courage, with regards to one of our supposedly staunches allies? Why can we not speak to Hamas, or provide the necessary political support to Palestine to secure its independence? How can we justify defying the status quo for the Taiwanese and Tibetans, but not the Palestinians? What strategic considerations come into play when determining whose rights are worth fighting for?
In our history we have often compromised the freedom of one group for the progress of another. Subjects of King George were freed while their slaves were not. Black men were given the vote, while women were told to wait their turn. Feminists marched to equal rights, while the gay community must wait for the decriminalization of their love. In all of these cases the powerful masses- be they actively participating in the oppression or merely turning a blind eye for the sake of their own struggle- were either forced by conscience to share power, or threatened with the loss of this power all together. And progress was slow in coming, but progress came. The slaves were freed, women voted, and, I believe, one day, gay couples will be allowed to marry. These equalities were hard-won, but they were also the inevitable product of an enlightened, free society, a society mature enough and courageous enough to embrace change. How does history treat the oppressors, the detractors, those who defended slavery and opposed suffrage?
I feel certain that history will judge the disenfranchisement of the Palestinians just as harshly. It seems inevitable that Israel will either share power or risk losing it. We can respect Israel as an ally, call out their shortcomings in the name of doing the right thing, or we can be painted alongside them, oppressors in kind. I don't want my citizenship to be a source of shame. I want to be proud of my country, I want to believe that we defend human rights, wherever they are threatened, regardless of political expediency.
Respectfully yours,
Kelsey
It seems as though your administration is going out of its way to upset China this week. Selling arms to Taiwan? Announcing plans to meet with the Dalai Lama? I think these actions are admirable, they demonstrate mature wisdom and the courage of your convictions about human rights. You say that, because our relationship with China is an adult relationship, we can disagree publicly without jeopardizing diplomatic relations. Our disagreements do not demonstrate a lack of respect.
Why is this not true of the US and Israel? Why can we not demonstrate the same maturity, the same courage, with regards to one of our supposedly staunches allies? Why can we not speak to Hamas, or provide the necessary political support to Palestine to secure its independence? How can we justify defying the status quo for the Taiwanese and Tibetans, but not the Palestinians? What strategic considerations come into play when determining whose rights are worth fighting for?
In our history we have often compromised the freedom of one group for the progress of another. Subjects of King George were freed while their slaves were not. Black men were given the vote, while women were told to wait their turn. Feminists marched to equal rights, while the gay community must wait for the decriminalization of their love. In all of these cases the powerful masses- be they actively participating in the oppression or merely turning a blind eye for the sake of their own struggle- were either forced by conscience to share power, or threatened with the loss of this power all together. And progress was slow in coming, but progress came. The slaves were freed, women voted, and, I believe, one day, gay couples will be allowed to marry. These equalities were hard-won, but they were also the inevitable product of an enlightened, free society, a society mature enough and courageous enough to embrace change. How does history treat the oppressors, the detractors, those who defended slavery and opposed suffrage?
I feel certain that history will judge the disenfranchisement of the Palestinians just as harshly. It seems inevitable that Israel will either share power or risk losing it. We can respect Israel as an ally, call out their shortcomings in the name of doing the right thing, or we can be painted alongside them, oppressors in kind. I don't want my citizenship to be a source of shame. I want to be proud of my country, I want to believe that we defend human rights, wherever they are threatened, regardless of political expediency.
Respectfully yours,
Kelsey
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