Hey everyone! This post is a bit different from the typical content I create. I want to reassure you that more of your typical content will be coming soon.
Here’s a bit of a sneak-peak:
- I’m currently in the process of starting as a volunteer in the Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum archives! I’m super excited about this opportunity and hope I can create meaningful content from what I learn in the archives.
- I’ve uncovered some fascinating family stories, including an ancestor who was institutionalized by her husband following the birth of a stillborn child. Her story is heart-wrenching. We will be discussing the notes from her time in the asylum, and the radical gender ideologies of the 19th century that made it possible for men to institutionalize their wives.
- One of the other family stories we will be talking about is that of Michael Gilbride, a Civil War veteran who lost everything due to disabilities he received during his time in service, and how the federal government reacted to his pension claims.
- I will also be writing about my thesis, which is centered around the press coverage of the Henry Wirz trial. Wirz was the commander of the notorious Civil War Prison of Andersonville. This should make an interesting series of posts, as there is much to cover about the prison and his trial!
However, today’s post has a much different tone than the preview above. I’ve had to bite my tongue about for weeks, but I cannot, in good faith, stay silent any longer.
The erasure of history under the guise of “DEI” is disgusting. This attack on information is an attack on democracy. Don’t believe me that information is being purged in the name of eliminating “DEI?” I’ll provide you with some examples myself. During my time in the Air Force, I was a Public Affairs Airman for four years. I published all sorts of content, covering a wide range of topics. One of my most proud projects was a short film highlighting one of our airmen’s stories of overcoming resilience. This particular Airman is one of the only openly gay chaplains in the military. He served during the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, went through conversion therapy, and despite all these challenges, came out learning a lesson of self-acceptance. This story wasn’t made because of “DEI,” or because of any agenda being passed down by leadership. This story came to fruition because I talked to this Airman, learned his story, and wanted to share it. One of the biggest obstacles we had to face in production was getting the content approved because it was controversial and could offend certain people. Let me say this, if you are offended by someone else’s existence, you are undeniably a bigoted person by the very definition of the word. Other content I’ve made that was taken down includes an infographic about Martin Luther King Jr., the face of the American Civil Rights movement, and a story about covering the first-ever all-female crew to launch a satellite. This content is historic and tells the story of us and the progress we’ve made as a society and as a military. To put our history in perspective, here’s some interesting facts for you:
- The Jim Crow era ended in 1965.
- Interracial marriage was legalized in 1967.
- The last enslaved American died in 1971.
- Women were not allowed to have credit cards in their name until 1974.
- The IDEA Act, granting the right to individuals with disabilities to receive a free and appropriate public school education was passed in 1975.
- The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990.
- Intimate sexual conduct between gay couples was made legal in 2003.
- Gay marriage was not legalized across the country until 2015.
- Gay couples gained the right to adopt a child in every state in 2016.
- The last child of an enslaved American died in 2022.
- There are women alive who were born before the 19th Amendment was passed.
History has a funny way of affecting the present. Many of you reading this post have lived through every event on this list. So I ask you this, if MLK, the first ever all-female crew to launch a satellite, and the story of a gay chaplain overcoming adversity were marked as “DEI,” how many of the things on this list would fall under that same umbrella?
Until next time,
Jack
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