Let’s not whitewash our history

A new year is a time for making resolutions, starting new, and dreaming big. But quite often the treadmill becomes a clothes rack and our resolve to eat healthier evaporates as soon as the drive-up for Raising Cane’s clears up. Keeping resolutions requires willpower and work, and they must be backed by determination and strategies for change. If not, resolutions morph into wishes.

Wishes might be fun when blowing out candles or sitting on Santa’s lap. But wishes are even weaker than resolutions.

Resolutions are usually individual commitments, but I’m proposing a few collective resolutions around honestly preserving our American and Iowa story from political spin.

Telling the American story honestly

Let’s resolve not to allow anyone or any group to whitewash history to distort America’s story to fit a particular narrative. Both the Left and Right need to recognize history is nonpartisan. Neither political party owns our American story.

The American origin story is exceptional, but there are dark periods. Those include, but not limited to, how Native Americans were treated, slavery, Jim Crow, child labor, redlining, unchecked monopolies, and Jan. 6. Trying to sanitize brutally dark times means we’re transforming a rich history into a Hallmark movie, so sweet it causes tooth decay.

Attempting to spin and censor history reminds me of the guy who wears suspenders and a belt because he has no trust. Those who censor and spin history don’t trust the viewers or readers to make informed judgments. They’re pushing a political narrative instead of telling a historic story.

Americans value history, that’s why almost every town has a museum, but you don’t even need to visit the museum to learn a town’s history. Just stop into a cafe or a Casey’s for early morning coffee with a few seniors. You’ll hear the town’s oral history warts and all. Political spin is usually snuffed out by the group.

Now, there’s an effort to even revise recent history through spin. It won’t work because critical thinking washes away whitewash. Let’s all resolve to reject political spin for our history and use our own critical judgment. For recent history, trust what you’ve seen with your own eyes.

Let’s not lose a huge piece of Iowa history

Closer to home, there’s another kind of history whitewashing going on. The Iowa Department of Administrative Services shuttered the Iowa City historic research center, and the professional staff have been laid off.

The Iowa City center has been open since 1857. This is whitewashing history by neglect and using budget issues as spin.

The library contains one-of-a-kind historic letters, diaries, maps, books, newspapers, journals, oral histories, films, and other materials documenting Iowa’s rich heritage. State administrators propose to move the Iowa City collection to Des Moines, but the space won’t be completed until 2028 and will only accommodate all of the Iowa City material.

Unless the Iowa Legislature acts to save these important documents, a huge slice of Iowa history will disappear. Destroying documents telling the story of who we are is a loss that can’t be measured and won’t be recognized until too late.

This isn’t a red or blue issue. It’s an Iowa issue.

Let’s resolve to pressure Iowa’s Legislature to intervene to find a public place to house this important history. These important documents should remain available to scholars, students, and the public. Also, please resolve to sign the petition by clicking the link. https://chng.it/n7rZnhNfjV.

Maya Angelou said it best, “History despite its wrenching pain cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”

Bruce Lear taught for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until he retired. He lives in Sioux City. BruceLear2419@gmail.com