Reveal the Truth - Little Light No. 13

Hey! How are you? I hope you are warm and well. This newsletter might be a bit different from others but bear with me.

This week I started, The People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn. The original book was published in 1980 and was updated through Zinn's life. He starts his book by describing the account of Christopher Columbus's "discovery" of the Americas. He critiques another historian for romanticizing Columbus's life. The historian considered Columbus flawless, though admitting to the genocide he enabled. Zinn explains that the historian "mentions the truth quickly and goes on to other things more important to him. To state the facts, however, and then to bury them in a mass of other information is to say to the reader with a certain infection calm: yes, mass murder took place, but it's not that important - it should weigh very little in of final judgments; it should affect very little what we do in the world." This critique establishes the theme, showing that history has a skewed perspective depending on who tells it. 

This quote brought me back to Heavy by Keise Laymon, a book I read a couple months ago. This memoir details his childhood and his troubled relationship with his mother. In the introduction, he explains how his mother did not see their past in the same way he did. She failed to understand how she hurt him when she perceived her actions as love. He writes, "It took one final conversation with grandma for me to understand that no one in our family - and very few folk in this nation - has any desire to reckon with the weight of where we’ve been, which means no one in our family - and very few folk in this nation - wants to be free." In this short paragraph, the theme is clear. He writes about his past, regardless of how difficult it might be, to find freedom. 

Although these are different authors, writing decades apart, their introductions share a similar opinion. The "truth" can be varied by perspective, but it takes accountability to address faults, gain a comprehensive understanding, and shape the future.

This is a month when people go out of their way to debunk the believes others have about the Black community. Black History Month was created to celebrate the voices that were marginalized. Slowly, the broader narrative is changing by sharing the stories reinforcing a positive truth. 

We have to uncover the truth regardless of how difficult those conversations may be. These conversations are necessary and should be handled with great compassion. From small arguments to large political divisions, I believe compassionate understanding is the only way we can unify divisions of all kinds. I want to make clear, this is no easy task. 

Take this with you:

Getting to the truth is important. Your story matters. I see three parts to uncovering the truth. (1) What are things that you believe that might not be true? There are some thoughts we have believed for so long they have become our reality. (2) Get curious and ask questions! On both sides, compassion is required to have a productive conversation. Just because someone doesn't share your perspective, it doesn't mean they aren't worthy of a conversation. How are we to learn if we only seek the same views as our own? (3) Reflect on what you've discovered. Take a moment, breathe, and process.