On September 14, 1814, a poem was written by Francis Scott key declared that the United States was “the land of the free, home of the brave,” and in 1916, our nation memorialized those words when the poem was adopted as our national anthem. There is no doubt that there have been significant acts and moments of great moral and physical bravery throughout our history but let’s make it clear, our nation does not have a patent on bravery or courage. Too many Americans believe we do, and it is that misguided conviction that has the potential to destroy our democracy.
Acts of bravery and courage are essential to acknowledge and establish a national identity but even more important is to document a nation’s history accurately and honestly. It takes courage to accomplish that, and as a nation, we have failed miserably in that regard. A nation’s ability to look in the mirror and confront its past, the good, the bad, the ugly, is the most important act of bravery possible. Rather than stare down the face of history and confront our atrocities, the genocide of Native Americans, the enslavement of Africans and their descendants, internment of Japanese Americans, and Jim Crow, we have instead a history that distorts or erases anything that doesn’t fit our self-serving narrative as the “greatest” country on earth.
What we have done is attack those Americans that attempt to correct the record and render a more accurate and contextured depiction of our history are attacked and vilified. A case in point is the rabid attacks on the consequential work, “The 1619 Project”, written by Nikole Hanah-Jones. These specious attacks have shown how painfully fragile our national psyche is and how important history’s narrative is for maintaining power.
History’s narrative starts with that period’s press and media. The current press and media, to a large degree, have been lacking bravery and courage. Their reporting is the first draft of history, and if they continue to treat this tremendous responsibility cavalierly, prioritizing access and future book sales, we are doomed. I still lay a great deal of responsibility at their feet for creating the environment that led to Donald Trump becoming a viable option to occupy the Oval Office. If they had reported honestly how absurd and dripping with racism trump’s assertions about President Barack Obama were, we would have avoided the national disaster that followed. Frankly, one of the most disgusting things to watch was the Washington Press Corps accept the abuse Trump and his administration pummeled them with for four years.
It is nefarious and cowardly that the people that lie about and ignore an accurate portrayal of history run around and self-identify as heroes and patriots. Newsflash, if you have to claim you are a patriot or a hero, you’re not.
As I write this piece, some of us are acknowledging the horrific Tulsa Massacre of 1921, in which hundreds of Black men, women, and children were murdered by White racists who could not tolerate Black success and independence. The future and livelihood of this community were destroyed and burned to the ground, but why are we only hearing about this a century later. One reason is that we have an approach to history that has institutionalized the practice of erasing and fabricating events so perpetrators could insulate themselves from culpability and accountability. I call it the “nothing to see here, but we were justified anyway” defense.
Until this day, not one cent of reparations, or let’s call them damages, have been received by any of the victims or their descendants. It’s a credit to President Biden that he spoke out earnestly about the incident and acknowledged the pain and suffering of the Black residents of Tulsa. Still, it is also appalling that such an act would be such an unusual and historic event. I would guarantee that an alarming number of Americans are upset that this incident has received so much attention. This is too much “wokeness” for them. Well, America, it’s time to wake up because supporting a system and a rendition of history that gives you a false sense of superiority is not worth the destruction of our democracy.
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