By ROBERTO Dr. CINTLI RODRIGUEZ
(Vea la versión en español a continuación.)
I am from the school that believes that the past, present and future are not separate, and all actually form one seamless continuum. For example, in the realm of US politics, Providence, Manifest Destiny and American Exceptionalism are not dated concepts, but what constitutes the foundation of this nation’s psyche.
These concepts also affirm that the religio-white supremacist ideals that were present during the nation’s founding, continue to be a part of this nation’s moral fabric, which is clearly on display during these 2020 elections. These truths are generally left out of US K-12 textbooks. Students are taught that the “Founding Fathers” ushered in democracy, but not that the nation was actually founded upon genocide, land theft, slavery and de jure and de facto discrimination.
This helps explain why the current White House occupant opposes the teaching of the significance of 1619 (slavery). Instead, he wants 1776 (Independence) to be taught as the nation’s founding. The year 1492 (colonialism) is arguably an even better year to recognize because that’s when these destructive ideologies and worldviews were first introduced into this country/continent.
For the full column, including in Spanish, go to: https://www.populist.com/26.20.Rodriguez.html
