As some readers may have noticed, I like to add history in my comments. For example, this morning I read an article by Luc Olinga. I remembered two towns near Oakland related to his story, so I jotted those connections in my comment.
Many people know all kinds of history about the far-away places where they’ve travelled, but don’t know much about the history of the place where they live. That is also true of most people who read history books and watch historical documentaries, as well as people who have studied history and claim the title of historian, or history professor.
For me, learning the history of the place where I live is far more meaningful and inspiring than any other place on earth. Since my work required me to learn local history, I also learned that knowing local history is power – social power and political power. Way too many elected officials know nothing about the history of the people they represent.
Last Wednesday, my daughter stopped at a stop sign in town. I’ve been here five years, but that was the first time I’d read the historical marker on the corner of that street. Did you know that was a Rosenwald School I asked my daughter? No, Mom, she replied, that was the old hospital. But, but, I stammered, it was a Rosenwald School before it was a hospital (and now an apartment building). Mom, what’s a Rosenwald School?
When I explained the history, my daughter wondered if her business partner knew that history. Those two have worked together for sixteen years, so if she did know, it probably would have come up in conversation.
Laura, this particular school was built in the middle of town and fits like a hand-in-glove with the local architecture. IOW, it’s a stunning, two-story, brick building. The design and construction is so wonderful, I felt like I’d discovered a treasure, because I had.
That’s the long way of saying that learning local history and then finding ways to insert it into everyday conversations keeps that history alive. For when history is part of your daily life, it’s not in the past anymore. Be it your street, neighborhood, town, ranch, farm, or city, local history is personal; it’s in the ground you walk on, the land beneath your home and all the places you work, shop and play - everyday.
Somehow, knowing local history tends to temper, quiet, even change views and opinions. For us white people, replacing ignorance with knowledge of local history, quite often replaces arrogance with humility – and that’s when respect finally enters the picture.
As you might expect, I will be bringing up that Rosenwald School in conversation, many times in the years to come.
