Citing a proud national past without its atrocities is selective and cowardly.

Evidence

“It was one hundred and fifty years ago, and it is right now,” Coates said in his stunning speech. He went on to explain all the ways that’s true. “The matter of reparations is one of making amends and direct redress. But it is also a question of citizenship…. That if Thomas Jefferson matters, so does Sally Hemings. That if D-Day matters, so does Black Wall Street. That if Valley Forge matters, so does Fort Pillow. Because the question is not whether we will be tied to the somethings of our past, but whether or not we will be courageous enough to be connected to the whole of them.” — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 934

Categorization

• XREF: The paired-attention maneuver — Valley Forge with Fort Pillow, Jefferson with Hemings — echoes the reader’s interest in how institutions hold history selectively.