Throughout history there is a divide between the named and the numbered—the people publicly acknowledged and remembered by name, and the faceless masses of women and workers that do a lot of the effort, but are willfully ignored. We see evidence of this all around us. There are streets and schools in nearly every American town that are named for US Presidents. There’s usually a Washington Street or Jefferson High school if not also a Grant and Jackson. The last two are probably know more for just being presidents rather than any specific speech or decision, the role, rather than any action imbuing the honor. Yet their faces are on stamps and money and their portraits and statues are in government buildings and parks. They named, remembered, honored and respected.
In an effort to include minorities, there were efforts in the 1970s and 80s to add a MLK Jr. or Cesar Chavez roads and schools. Most recently, some women have been included on the map with a Rosa Parks Drive or even a Rachel Carson Middle School in the more progressive communities. The Susan B Anthony and Sacagawea coins never really made it into regular circulation or many people’s historical knowledge bank beyond a cursory mention. The Harriet Tubman twenty dollar bill was designed, but never printed.
Why does this matter? Half of Americans are now and have ever been women, 20 percent are Hispanic and 14 percent are Black. There was a time when most Americans were Native and between 1400s and 1600 the most common European languages spoken in this land were Spanish or French. Do we just pretend that history never happened do we let ourselves be erased? Again?
Currently most roles of power and prestige are still occupied by men over fifty who are wealthy, white and speak English. They have sensed that their time of being the only ones that matter was barely starting to shift to a more reasonable proportion of power. They have complained about being “replaced” as if they are going to be thrust into the tiniest closet that the rest of us have occupied this whole time.
That is why this president has gotten rid of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion and declared English to be the only official language of the United States. His push to have wealthy, white men be the only ones that count is dire. We have to push back or lose the rights that we and the brave and bloodied ones before us have fought so hard to gain. A president should be a person who honors all the people and represent their needs in addition to his own.
