The American South is known for many things – its hospitality, sweet tea, and of course its racism.
That’s right, while the South certainly is delicious and friendly, its contribution to our nation’s darkest period cannot be denied. This, of reached its peak in 1861 when eleven states seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America.

So, what century’s old stains has our country created? Well, that answer is vast. However, we continuously deny the immoral and evil aspects of our history. Dark moments in our nation’s history such as slavery and segregation are all too often cast aside because they expose the nation’s nefarious side and reveal the the truth about how the nation managed to become so powerful.

The racist history that led the United States of America to have legal slavery – just chew on that term for a moment, legal ownership of other human beings – has never truly been apologized for by our nation. And, the truth is, this racist history has continued to rear its ugly head in the form of white nationalists, some of whom openly marched on our nation’s capital in August of 2018.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “White nationalist groups espouse white supremacist or white separatist ideologies, often focusing on the alleged inferiority of nonwhites. Groups listed in a variety of other categories – Ku Klux Klan, neo-Confederate, neo-Nazi, racist skinhead, and Christian Identity – could also be fairly described as white nationalist.” Unfortunately, the groups listed in this definition are not only from past history, but they are alive and thriving in many parts of the US today. The most illogical part of the entire white nationalist movement is their claim to be the “most” American citizens in the country. The truth is, these individuals are against all that makes America what it is, as they violate American laws and values.

Knowing our nation’s history – the good and the bad – is important; but striving to not repeat the mistakes in our history is where we as Americans need help. One current issue that exists is that people are afraid to or will not admit that the country has some negative history. In fact, negative is not even close to a strong enough word. Those who gloss over the nation’s dark history strive to obscure the nation’s guilt. The Trail of Tears, Jim Crow Era, the War on Terror, are emblematic of history repeating itself. If we continue to bury the parts we find unpleasant, we only further America’s already deep divide.