I think the Zinn chapter was a refreshing account of Columbus and the era of Spanish and English colonialism. Not refreshing in that the content was uplifting, but refreshing in its honesty on both sides. They don’t hide that the Aztecs sacrificed thousands of people, but also provide a complete account of the utter havoc and destruction that was brought in by Spanish conquerors. History is often framed in a way that makes excuses for the actions taken. It’s time that the goal of telling history is changed from excusing wrongdoings to owning up to mistakes and providing accounts of how events affected minorities and common people, not just how it served the wealthy often white elite.

Just as Spanish and English settlers in the 1400s did everything to consolidate power, the same thing was happening  in mid-20th century Richmond. White residents were doing everything in their power to maintain segregation and prevent black Richmonders from gaining any measurable political power, implementing everything from poll taxes to annexing a 97% white county in order to dilute the power of black votes. While the effects of the annexation were eventually resolved to a single-member district system that guarantees fair representation with majority-minority districts, that resolution took seven years and is currently trying to be repealed. Both of these articles are powerful examples of the lengths people, particularly white people, will go to to attain and maintain power, often on the basis of blatant discrimination and racism. This is clearly a pattern that has been in place for hundreds of years and we must continue to actively fight against it.