It’s time to recognize what we don’t know

Black History Month came about because traditional teaching of American history purposefully left out black people and their roles. African American scholar Carter G. Woodson came up with the idea of Negro History Week in 1926 because he feared the effect that void of knowledge could have on black youngsters: “Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.”

The same is true for any of us; ignorance of history robs us, not just of facts and understanding but of ideas and inspiration . ...

Of course, it would be preferable if there were no need for extra effort on African American history — if there hadn’t been centuries of its deliberate suppression. But there were centuries of deliberate suppression, and in the resulting ignorance, some Americans don’t see a problem . ...

As with so much of the public hostility in American life today, a healthy dose of humility could be a great help. If we all recognized how much we don’t know about each other and the world beyond our own experience, we might not be so quick to judge, disapprove and condemn.

Read the full editorial from the Columbus Dispatch at bit. ly/2GqGhr9