Opinion: America must strive to honor those that they have wronged.

 
The Crazy Horse Memorial, in South Dakota

    The history of the United States is tainted with the blood of those that we have wronged. From this country's infancy, we have committed atrocities against groups of people, whether those be slaves, indigenous peoples, and even women. In the 21st century, we have taken steps to honor those that we have wronged, whether that be through the removal of statues or in the form of commemorative statues, and memorials, or even in the form of commemorative periods of time. However, we could do a lot better. In the case of Native Americans, "there were probably better ways to help Indians than a big statue", a sentiment voiced by Kelly Looking Horse, a Sioux artist, in a 2010 New York Times article. This sentiment is very valid. We must strive to level the playing field, by ensuring equal pay for all genders. We must strive to end systemic racism in our school, by appropriately allocating funds to all forms of public service. We must strive to better the conditions on Native American reservations, where poverty and drug abuse runs rampant. It is of the highest importance that we honor those that we have wronged, and honor the accomplishments of those that strived to undo those wrongs. It is not enough for us to honor MLK on MLK Day, we must fight to secure civil rights for all. It is not enough for us to set aside June as ‘Pride Month’. It is imperative that we codify the rights that the LGBTQ+ community deserves. That holds far more value than any memorial.

Comments

  1. ManishSeptember 11, 2022 at 2:06 PM

    I agree with you. I believe that the United States needs to do better than making memorials and actually help the groups that United States has hurt in the past.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Emily BaekSeptember 11, 2022 at 8:01 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Emily BaekSeptember 11, 2022 at 8:02 PM

    This is a popular take, Kaeshav- and over the recent years, I've seen lots of social movements arise with activists trying to make their voice heard and their point come across. But even though this kind of opposition isn't exactly unusual, you make it seem like it isn't enough. So- when when you write "us" and "we", are you truly referring to the citizens of the US with their own ideals and values that they fight for, or are you referencing the US government and how they could be less idle than they currently are with their federal and legal ability to accelerate progress?

    ReplyDelete

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