As a science teacher, I was invited to social studies classes. I would hold their history book and tell students that the people in that book were not a separate species from ours, but everyday people who used every day to shape history. And every student in that room had the same opportunity.
Our nation, our world, are in tumultuous flux, and could move in several directions, like forks in the road. Robert Frost referred to “the road not taken.” Through history, sadly, the road usually taken has not been toward justice, and we’ve had generations of tragedy. That must stop.
History is made every day. We should all participate. For example, Black Lives Matter deserves emphatic support. African Americans have suffered greatly. Nobody is saying that other lives do not matter, but Black people have suffered more than others. Native Americans have suffered more, too.
When history of these times is written, we should be part of it. Thinking happy thoughts does not count. Only actions count — brave, intelligent actions. We must insist on the right road this time, and that will have “made all the difference,” for sisterhood, for brotherhood, for justice. Do it.
