Dear School Board,
I find your recent ruling, banning the teaching of so called “graphic history”, to high school students. Events such as the Rape of Nanking and the Bosnian genocide are said to be “too graphic” and “too intense” for us to learn about. However, answer me this: if we do not learn about such events, and understand that they are still going on today, how can we stop them? It was in 1995 that the Bosnian Genocide began, a mere 15 years ago. People are being killed and raped; human beings are being killed and raped. Yet, you tell us that we are too young, too immature to learn about these topics—these important pieces of history.
We are constantly being told that we must seek new heights, and strive diligently in our education, for we are the future of this country. However, you restrict us with rules such as these, and try to censor history. History is not something that can be censored. It is not an R rated movie that we can put an age limit on. History happened. History will happen again. We need to know the truth of history if we are to prevent it from happening again. Is that not the same cliché your generation constantly repeats to us?
The events in Nanking, and those in Bosnia, The Sudan, Rwanda, and all over the globe are happening today. The future has already begun to repeat itself, and will continue to do so without any thing to stand in its way. Let us be that wall; let us stand in the way of the repetition of evil. We are the future; therefore we must be informed of the past.
Sincerely,
The Millennials
