“Critical race theory” is an inaccurate and misleading name. What we need is accurate history.

I know I was taught a history that left out the reality that many of our Founding Fathers were slave holders. All the good points were taught about Thomas Jefferson, but not the facts of the horrors of slavery at Monticello and that he freed only 10 of his more than 600 slaves. I was not taught the truth that the early settlers, and even famous families of Portland, participated in scalping Native peoples for bounty. I was not taught about internment camps filled with Japanese American citizens.

As a retired teacher I know that, in recent times, American history was still taught extremely inaccurately, and I know I was guilty of this also. Most Americans still do not understand how the effects of systemic racism against African Americans, Asians and Indigenous people continues to affect our culture and our people.

Should I feel guilty about these historic truths? No. We were not there. But should we know these truths and acknowledge them and learn from them and try to never repeat them?

Yes. I want accurate history taught.

Our country will never be able to grow and become the truly democratic nation we aspire to unless we acknowledge the mistakes we have made, stop denying the wrongs and start to learn from our mistakes. Then we can build an honest and open democracy.

Valerie Razsa
Gray

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