I respect Hmong veterans for their long struggle at the side of the French, and the Americans afterwards, in what used to be Indochina. We know about their plight in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. But should we dedicate them a special chapter in our school curriculum?
I went through my son’s fourth grader “Social study” book on opening day at school and asked the teacher if it was coming with a whip and if there was anything there that he should be proud – Chinese building railroads, de-possessed Mexican immigrants, Japanese camps, and the native we slaughtered. Today we are going to add the Hmongs to the curriculum and the tale of our abandoning them to the Vietnamese and Laotian revenge. Furthermore, the Gay-transgender-whatever community is also trying to add their contribution to the history of that crazy state.
Questions: Should the books cover the history of all the minorities that make the framework of America? Should our schools be responsible for the transmitting of cultures and traditions from one silent generation to a passive one? What is next? The Italian contribution to the American Pizza, the Middle Eastern love story with 7-11, the French improvement to American wines and kisses? The casino success story of the Cache Creek, Thunder valley and other Jackson Rancheria foreign nations?
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