Need a response for each one..........must be at least 150 words SEE ATTACHMENT IN ORDER TO WRITE RESPONSES.

To whom it may concern:

I am writing out of concern and to raise awareness. I am sure you are aware of the transitional course this country has taken. There has been much debate about the removal of African-American history from schools and curriculum. Out of concern, this is not acceptable as this is an “attempt” to erase the history of not only my ancestors, but others whose roots are of African-American descent. Out of awareness, this level of history must stay. We must continue to teach generations of the importance of African Americans and their many roles in American history. How can we eliminate the history that built this country? How can we disregard those who lost lives because their skin color was different? Who gets to say that African-American history is not important? If we support this type of atrocity, we are resembling, or mimicking, what slave owners did to slaves years ago; strip them of their knowledge of their home and force them to follow mannerisms according to the European way. African-Americans have already lost so much over the years, are we going to support the obliteration of a race because others are afraid to accept it? There were millions of individuals taken from their homes and native land, sold through the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, stripped of their names, and forced to do manual labor that someone else was not willing to do. Senator Tim Kaine stated that the 400-year history of African Americans is full of tragedies that have shaped the black experience in America and should be remembered as moral catastrophes. However, that is not the whole story of African-American history. African Americans have contributed to the economic, academic, social, cultural and moral well-being of this nation. Let us keep in mind that there would not be any history without black history. To continue to raise awareness of the importance of African-American history we must recognize and accept all that comes with it. We must admit to the constant racism, we must admit to the abuse, the blatant disrespect that this race has been given for centuries. The history cannot be erased, if we erase and eliminate African-American history, what history would be left? What will we teach our children aside from the lies that are already laden in textbooks. African-Americans did not suffer for years to just be told that their history is too gruesome to remain in textbooks. How can we honor those who killed African-Americans for simply being black and not honor those who helped make a difference within society such as Rosa Parks and Malcolm X? Would American moral leadership be as strong without Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr. or Thurgood Marshall? Would American literature be as prolific without the giants of the Harlem Renaissance? Would American music have conquered the world without pioneers like Robert Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Marian Anderson and James Brown? "Black life is cheap, but in America black bodies are a natural resource of incomparable value," Atlantic correspondent and MacArthur "genius" Award-winner Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote in Between the World and Me. You, the editor of this paper, control a media that can raise awareness to this growing epidemic. You have a selected power to bring issues such as this to the forefront, to address them, hopefully in an unbiased manner. Thank you for your time and attention. I pray you do what is best to save the history of a growing race.

Respectfully,

A concerned citizen

Donald Earl Collins. (2017, 16). Have black historians been wrong all along? Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/08/black-historians-wrong-170816071925403.html

Kelley, R. D. G., & Lewis, E. (Eds.). (2005). To make our world anew, 1 : a history of african americans to 1880. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy2.apus.edu

Sen. Tim Kaine. (2016, February 17). Why the 400 Years of African American History Act Is So Important. Retrieved from http://www.theroot.com/why-the-400-years-of-african-american-history-act-is-so-1790854281

2. To whom it may concern...

It was brought to my attention today during the educational board meeting that the teachings and learnings of African American history, whether it be slavery, racial struggles, or present-day history that African Americans went through, and continue to go through, is going to be slowly but surely thrown out. Meaning that none of our younger generations, black or white, will learn about the important history that paved a way for a lot of things in present day lives. Does anyone in the educational boards not find this to be an issue? Doing this could cause of lot of uproars and nightmares in the African American community. It is like you all are trying to place their past in a box, place that box into a closet, and never open it again. To many, this history hits close to home and is a reason why a lot of events in life take place today. For those who don’t think that it will be a drastic change I will gladly explain why past and present history of African Americans needs to be kept into our educational systems, and it will hopefully persuade some to change their mind. Black History month, which is a known celebration in the African American community, is a time to celebrate and reflect on African Americans who contributed and had a huge impact on black people. It is bad enough that they catch back lash, at times, for wanting to celebrate those who helped create this history now during this month. This month seems to be short lived and shortly after it seems as though things go back to the way they were and the history is forgotten about until the next year comes around and the same thing is done. A few people that is widely known and talked about during this month and in History lessons is, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. Rosa parks was a native in Montgomery Alabama who risked her life and was even sent to jail for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. She is an important figure when it comes to racial equality and is one reason why separation in areas such as on a bus has been terminated. "The boycott started on December 5, 1955, and lasted 381 days until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Browder v. Gayle (1956) that municipal bus laws were unconstitutional." (Motl, 4) Martin Luther King was another important figure that is taught in past and present-day history and especially in Black History month. He even has his own holiday in the month of January that is taught in all states of America. "His civil rights umbrella organization, the South Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), solidified his place as the voice of the American Civil Rights Movement," (Degegory, 1) Taking away not only historical events such as Black History Month being taught but also these important figures could cause a sense of it being ok to go back to the old ways. When i say this, I mean moving backwards like not being able to share public facilities or being separated on public transits. We are teaching our kids and future generations that it is ok to hate one another because of their skin color just by throwing out how we got to where we are today as human beings on a racial stand point. We all watch the news and see movements such as "Black Lives Matters" groups that fight to make sure racial equality takes place. They stand to make sure that their kids don't have to relive moments that their ancestors may have gone through and taking away their history may cause way more aggression then what you guys see now. They deserve to have their history continued to be taught in the education system because it is HISTORY that no one should ever forget about.

- Sincerely, Melia Thomas

References:

Motl, Kevin C. "Parks, Rosa (1913–2005)." Culture Wars in America: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices, edited by Roger Chapman, and James Ciment, Routledge, 2nd edition, 2013. Credo Reference, http://ezproxy.apus.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/sharpecw/parks_rosa_1913_2005/0?institutionId=8703. Accessed 22 Jan 2018.

Degegory, Crystal A., and Crystal A. deGegory. "King, Martin Luther Jr. (1929–1968)." Freedom Facts and Firsts: 400 Years of the African American Civil Rights Experience, Jessica Carney Smith, and Linda T. Wynn, Visible Ink Press, 1st edition, 2009. Credo Reference, http://ezproxy.apus.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/vipfff/king_martin_luther_jr_1929_1968/0?institutionId=8703. Accessed 22 Jan 2018.

Bracks, Lean'Tin L., and Lean'tin L. Bracks. "Black History Month/Negro History Week (est. 1926)." Freedom Facts and Firsts: 400 Years of the African American Civil Rights Experience, Jessica Carney Smith, and Linda T. Wynn, Visible Ink Press, 1st edition, 2009. Credo Reference, http://ezproxy.apus.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/vipfff/black_history_month_negro_history_week_est_1926/0?institutionId=8703. Accessed 22 Jan 2018.