HISTORY: Not to be whitewashed

Recently, I read an article about Washington High School in San Francisco. Evidently there is a mural there by a Russian-American artist and a Stanford University professor done in 1936 depicting George Washington standing over a slain Native American (the article called it a corpse) and in the company of slaves at his Mt. Vernon home.

The powers that be have decided it should be painted over at a cost of $600K because it’s offensive to some people. (A good use of educational money?) What are we going to do — paint over or cover up history that we don’t like or destroy art or literature that may be offensive?

Statues of Confederate Civil War heroes/generals are an example. I think that was the plan in Nazi Germany and Myanmar — just rid the country of its history and just give people what, again, the powers that be wanted the people to know.

The thought is frightening. We need to learn from history so that we do not repeat the bad/evil occurrences of our forefathers, as well as the good. Our history, as well as world history is very important and I wish our young people could get a better and true understanding of history — the good and the bad.

KATHY VERBURG

Hayden