Letter: Photos tell true story of racial hatred

Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001 | 9:31 a.m.

While Mike Meyers' use of the 'N' word makes headlines, a small article tells of a collection of photos depicting dozens of American lynchings to be displayed in Georgia.

We realize with the use of the Nazi death camp photos the importance of visuals as we teach moral and historical lessons to ourselves and to our youth. It is easy to look at evil and point fingers to that evil if the evil is not in our own back yard.

As a nation we have not wanted to point fingers at our own evil. We have not had the courage to teach the moral and historical lesson of slavery and prejudice with truth and accuracy. The horrors of slavery lie hidden deep within, covered by cowardice that simmers on and creates scars and wounds that long for heeling.

Great people and great churches turned their backs and did nothing. Racial hatred in all its cowardice can be seen in this important photo collection. They alone can teach a lesson that no book of words could adequately describe.

I ask all our churches, Mr. Meyers, and all those other people in our community so proficient at fund-raising and public relations to begin the process to bring the Allen-Littlefield Collection to Las Vegas. Let us begin the cry to look our evil in the face, to see its sorrow, to see its menacing wickedness, to face the truth about ourselves and tell the real truth to our children.

Let us begin to rewrite the history books and our nation's future with the truth. No matter how ugly it may be or how painful to see, it must be done.

Let us light the candle and carry it forward to the rest of the nation so that these pictures become a rallying point not for hate, but for teaching and learning and healing all across our nation.

If sorry is truly what Mr. Meyers feels, this is a road to contrition.

TERRI ROBERTSON