Children deserve the whole truth

Ms. Madsen seeks for Juneteenth be a positive, upbeat holiday (“What will we do with Juneteenth’s opportunity?,” June 24). I believe that emphasis is at the expense of addressing the less-savory aspects of our history, sometimes called “America’s original sin.” We who have never experienced enslavement find it difficult to comprehend the joy Blacks felt that first Juneteenth 1865. They celebrated realized hope in the light of centuries of horror and violence of that “peculiar institution” we know as slavery.

There is nothing new about promoting positive narratives about enslavement. The “lost cause” initiatives promoted by the South after the Civil War ignored their enslavement of millions of people based on skin color. They skipped right over all those unpleasant stories to a “more pleasant” time of reunion.

The Jim Crow days of intimidation and violence continued decades after the Civil War. Those unpleasant stories are still happening today. Blacks still fight to get people to hear their stories and “say the names.” Rushing to keep things positive and upbeat is nothing new. It continues to be just as ineffective today as it was then.

Addressing the source of trauma strips its power. Slave narratives (family stories) are still part of Black contemporary consciousness. We do them a great disservice if we fail to acknowledge that pain. In reality we say to them, “Get over it, that’s old history.” (Yes, I have recently heard that.) Teach our children our whole history and help them develop empathy. In that truth-telling we find hope for today.

Becky Anderson

Newport