Embrace, don’t erase, our history, the story of us all

I read recently about the controversy surrounding a couple of upcoming events in Washington, D.C., to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.

One is the UFC fights taking place at the White House. The other is the IndyCar race happening later in the summer on the streets of D.C.

Now, as a huge IndyCar fan, I’ll be watching the race. As someone not a fan of the UFC, I won’t be watching the fights.

But either way, I think all of the outrage over these events may be a little overblown. These are one-off events and I believe both will be well attended and TV successes.

And then they will be done.

The argument against these events is they are being conducted on National Park Service property. A valid point, but does that really matter?

The cage and racetrack will be long gone shortly after the last fight ends and the checkered flag falls. Then Washington will be back to “normal,” if there is such a thing as that in this day and age.

To me, there is a much larger problem that is going somewhat unchecked when it comes to the National Park Service and more specifically those in the highest reaches of the federal government.

That problem is the changing of history that has been happening across the park service and its parks, monuments and other properties.

This administration has ordered that only positive American history be told, even though there are so many negatives when it comes to the history of this country.

The list is nearly endless. Suppression of women. Slavery. Unauthorized and deadly wars. Illegal prosecution of many people.

Although some may not like it, that is the history of America. It’s a sordid history, for sure, but we remain the greatest democracy in the history of the world. In other words, in many cases — but not all — we have overcome our faults and achieved great things.

That is American history.

So why do people want to erase the history that paints what might not be so flattering?

I suppose the answer to that question is only known by those who are trying to make this happen. Apparently, somehow, they think that by erasing the sordid past, that will make it all good again.

It won’t.

We cannot erase our past no matter how many people want that to happen. History is history.

We did allow slavery and we did suppress women. Many say we still suppress women. And some say the recent decisions concerning voting are akin to the Jim Crow days of the past.

For me, I was what might be considered a “tweener” when it comes to some of these matters. I was born in 1958. Sure, there was still segregation happening, but it was waning.

Also, women were becoming more ingrained in parts of society, though that issue remains in the forefront to this day.

I haven’t even mentioned what the “Europeans” did to the American Indian people. Why would we want to erase that dark past?

Well, that’s pretty easy to answer. Those “Europeans” felt they were superior human beings. They had no problem trying to wipe out Native Americans and the ones they didn’t kill were sent to reservations that to this day contain poverty, fetal alcohol syndrome running rampant and so much more.

That means our past remains in our present.

The other day, I was part of a discussion in a class at Woodland Elementary and the topic was history. One of the students said she didn’t like studying history.

I get it; most of us didn’t.

However, what we didn’t realize, just like that young student, is how we can learn from history. In fact, it’s the best teaching tool all of us can use when considering the present and the future.

There are so many examples of how we have not utilized history when formulating ideas in the present. Many wars are examples of this but it seems we continue to make the same mistakes.

This is why it is so crucial for young people, and even us old folks, to summon the lessons of the past before we make rash decisions about the present.

Apparently, there are some in power now who don’t think this should take place.

Do they think erasing the dark past will make a brighter future? If so, they are not living in reality.

Are they trying to “whitewash” (literally) our past and claim that we can somehow not think that will make everything rainbows and unicorns?

Good luck with that one.

Just recently, it was pointed out how much influence the Chinese people had in Mariposa County. From Hornitos to Yosemite National Park, it was huge. And we can’t forget the transcontinental railroad, as well.

Do the powers that be in Washington want to try to erase that from the storied history of Mariposa County? Do they think those young people who don’t like history will be influenced by such a decision?

Maybe that’s what they think but, again, they are sadly mistaken.

I looked up the definition of history. It says: “The systematic study and documented record of past events, particularly concerning human affairs.”

That pretty much sums it up. From the cave dwellers to today’s human race, all of it is history. A lot of it is ugly. Really ugly.

Yet here we are, as the world turns, continuing to make history. Each second that passes is now the past and it’s history. Some seconds are quite boring; others are quite scary. But they are all our collective history.

How can we not document and tell our story without including our mistakes? We cannot.

Another major point I want to emphasize here is this issue should be concerning to everyone. Not just the “left, right or middle,” but all of us. We are all history and no matter your political leanings or how badly you may think you hate someone because of theirs, we’re all in this ride together.

And none of us are going to escape alive.

That means we need to accept our past and try to guide our future in the right direction.

Trying to erase history will do nothing to make that happen.

Greg Little is editor of the Mariposa Gazette and can be reached at greg@mariposagazette.com