It is a sad reflection of the intellectual and educational poverty of many Americans when editors have to publish letters which use a selective choice of historical events to justify opinions which are often short sighted and ill-informed. Many white Americans are offended by the idea of children being taught about racism. According to them a Civil War was fought, one side won, so the matter is done and dusted. The facts prove otherwise. Racism is deeply embedded in American consciousness and way of life. The fight for equal rights and equal opportunities is on-going. Discrimination goes on at many different levels from housing, to police interactions, schooling, gun violence and the prison system. It's ever present. My neighbor, a highly successful black businesswomen, has to worry about her own safety when she takes her dog for a walk through our predominantly white neighborhood. A charming black teenager I taught told the class she kept a gun under her bed and was trained to use it by her father. Educating all citizens about the past will continue to help redress some of the inequities and the racial discrimination which minorities have to face on a daily basis.