Dear Sir, whom I look up to and have a very deep respect for,

I would like you to know first that I hear you, that you are right, that it is yet one more burden that need not be carried by those whom already carry so much.

I do have to say, however, that there are far too many people who would be allies, but they aren’t, not because they don’t understand the plight of POC in this country — but because they do not understand themselves, their violent ancestry, and therefore they do not recognize that this is their problem to fix.

Our educational system is broken. We do not tell our kids the truth about what we have done here. They do not know massive genocides occurred and were perpetrated by Columbus and others when they got here — to clear the path for crops they would eventually use and abuse Africans to make grow.

The water for the plants was red with blood. Blood that we spilled. We do not understand this about ourselves.

They don’t see the loop holes we built into the system. Case in point, the 13th Amendment:

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

“…except as punishment…”

People of color are not only NOT responsible for educating us, they are also NOT responsible for building in these workarounds!

This is the root of mass incarceration. I know I’m not telling you anything you don’t know, but honestly, if our teachers aren’t going to teach it, our government is not going to require it be taught and our parents don’t know it is what it is so that they can teach it to their children, then how can we fix a problem that is so ripe with plausible deniability?!?

I feel responsible for this because I have a degree in history. I was an assistant teacher at a community college for a couple of years — my subject?

American History Pre 1865.

I taught roughly 150 students. It is not enough. I know it will never be enough.

But it is the very least I can do. And if it doesn’t turn anyone, that is very very sad, but what if it opens one set of eyes?

Feel free to tell me if you would like the tag removed, you know the one. I will not be offended.

Feel free also to tell me I’ve lost my mind and it isn’t going to make any difference. It won’t be the first time I’ve heard that about something I’m up to…

Also, thank you, for being an inspiring, amazing human. Please know I appreciate you.

H.