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Letter: Why is anyone afraid of teaching or learning authentic US history? 

letter to the editor

Dear editor,

-I was heartened a few weeks ago by the Ethnic Studies elective proposed by Carey Alvord and Susana Lopez. My only questions are: Why has it taken so long? And, why isn’t it required?

My parents rented to a young Black couple who took me fishing when I was a child. In my tiny agricultural community, my best friends were Filipino and Japanese. After I moved to SLO in 1960, I graduated from SLO HS and Cal Poly in Biology without learning much about my country’s rich history, including accomplishments by people of color. But then, my science research studies took me to a lab headed by a Native American woman and to my doctoral professor who was Chinese.

In 1990, I established and directed a federal grant to support minority/disadvantaged premedical students to become doctors. I have advised thousands of students of varied backgrounds who are now practicing medicine, including two in SLO County. Thus has my perspective as a white woman become informed. Why are some afraid of hearing about how European Americans enslaved, mistreated, and even killed non-white people? We need to hear all of the facts in our history so we will not repeat the degrading and terrible parts.

Might a white person feel bad about how our ancestors treated Black and brown people? I hope so. Maybe that feeling will motivate us to address racism in our society. Learning our complete history is an important start.

Cynthia L. Lewis, PhD
Marine Biologist & Premedical Advisor, Templeton


Editor’s note: Letters to the editor are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Paso Robles Daily News or its staff. We welcome letters from local residents regarding relevant local topics. To submit one, click here.

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