Confront censorship of our past

A survivor of Auschwitz wrote the following to Germans born after the Holocaust: "You have no guilt for this time. But you make yourselves guilty if you don't want to learn about it. You must know everything about what happened then and why it happened." For the most part Germans have taken this to heart and remember the sins and evils of their Nazi past, sins and evils of their parents and grandparents.

Jan. 27 is a day of public events in Germany remembering the liberation of Auschwitz. Many cities have had permanent stones laid in the streets in front of houses where individuals or whole Jewish families lived who were taken away and murdered in concentration camps (Stolpersteine Projects).

Unfortunately, here in the U.S. there is a movement to censor an honest discussion of the sins of our past regarding slavery and the murdering of non whites in the westward expansion of our country. This is not healthy. This is denial. And this places each new generation on a path of being accessories after the fact in the crimes of those who committed them.

Keith Collins

Cedar Rapids

Opinion content represents the viewpoint of the author or The Gazette editorial board. You can join the conversation by submitting a letter to the editor or guest column or by suggesting a topic for an editorial to editorial@thegazette.com