History is the story of our past, our family, and who we are. I believe history is identity because it is what makes us who we are. We all have a different stories but we all have something in common.
History almost never has a happy ending, but it could have a better out come over time. There are memories of pain, suffering, hard work, and discrimination that are based in our life. I am Latin American but there is more that meet the eye. My family comes from Brazil and the Dominican republic.Both of my countries have a national slavery day that we celebrate with a lot of pride.
My parents and grandparents are very humble people; very generous and warm hearted. They raised me with so much love and respect. But the number one thing that I have always remembered is equality. They always told me to treat everyone the same, or the way I would like to be treated; no matter what the color, or background was.
My grandmother once told me "just because they don't share with you, don't stop sharing with them. I believe that always taught someone else a lesson, but I always knew to be different. My great grandparents were slaves at one point in their life, but the hunger to succeed was much stronger than the unwillingness to be owned by an American. I have never been happy about my family being owned by an American before and being treated like dogs, but I am not racist or holding a grudge I let go because there are bigger battles to overcome in life in the end.
Leonard Pitts wrote. "Understanding the past provides context to understand the present and predict the future. (81).I believe that statement he wrote is very factual because history is identity; it is a true story based on your life background and what makes you today. We have to go through many circumstances in life that brings us to be better people, or worst.
But it is up to ourselves to become better people and make better decisions. Suppressing the truth is wrong and thats exactly whats happening today. The truth is coming out to the light. There is not an apology big enough to accept from the world that is at war now.There are many people still upset, hurt and damaged from everything in the past that was done to them before. All the neglect and mistreat is redundant, but it is too late to take it back.
There is a lot of resentment out there that can be so dangerous. For example lets remember 9-11. All the broken families on this day and a terrorist attack this was very unexpected, but predictable that one day it would happen. There is a need for a chance, a good welcome, or a hand without a favor in return. There was supposed to be a reform for immigrants at that time and it was forgotten and not considered.
This made people very angry. Leonard wrote. "The problem with that reasoning it obvious: America is everyone else, a nation composed by other nations, a culture made of other cultures, a history built of other stories. "(82). But is American still the "Bad Guys"? That is the question many people resent. Leonard writes.
"History is not a Hallmark card. "(81). That is how it is presented to students in school. Only the little details are published with a picture animated on the side. Why should these stories be told if nothing is being done for them?I have read about Hitler and the Holocaust. This story was one of the worst I have ever heard.
It was about families being burnt in gas chambers, showered in cold waters, and sent to concentration camps. Women were raped and forced to have abortions with no medication some people were being tested for products like animals. All of this because they were Jewish people living in Germany. Susan Koing wrote an article called "They've Got to Be Carefully Taught.
"(51). And it is about the moral and what you teach you kids.About diversity and cultural manners that we are raised a certain way and you wine up being some other way in the end. We are all different and we cannot reject someone or dislike them just because they are not just like you. All in all history is not always a good story or a memory that we want to think back to, but it is life and we need to carry on and make the best out of it.
History has a lot of cold hearted stories and missing pieces that maybe our future will resolve later on. I am a hispanic and history makes the best of me where ever I am contributing.
