Understanding The Importance of Studying History

Historian Statement: Why I study history?

I study history because history has shown over time who has power and who has privilege in a country. History has demonstrated from the enslavement of African American migrants to the rapid spread of Islamophobia in modern times, that racism remains as a serious problem yet to be solved. Since Hawai’i’s statehood in 1959, we became a part of the Land of the Free where people are to be treated as equal as stated in her constitution that our founding fathers has long established. However, that is not the case. We have been taught under white books and white curriculum by white-taught teachers. We are taught to believe in one way in order to be fully accepted by society. We are given low-paying jobs if we do not restrict from using the Pidgin creole language. History has proved over and over again how white culture will always be dominant on deciding how society works.

I study history because as a person of color, I see an opportunity for change. It has not been long since I decided to be an activist because I was blinded by the equal opportunities for the American Dream; the idea that if I worked hard, I will succeed, but it never stated that this dream was a lot harder for people of color to achieve. As a Filipino, a Catholic (a subdivision of Christianity) and a heterosexual male, I am treated better than most people of color and accepted by society because I am straight and my religion views are similar to the faith most Americans hold. However, we also see how people of color, especially those of African American ancestry and those from the Middle East. This ideology of African Americans being as criminals and those from the Middle East are terrorists proves how fast people will believe the mainstream narrative, the one taught to them by whitewashed sources. I study history because I feel saddened by what other people of color must experience: the oppression, the discrimination and the feeling of unwelcomeness in a place they have been born and raised. I feel the need to take a stand and alter the ways things are now—so that people of color are not oppressed and have an equal shot towards success, happiness, safety, or shall I say the American Dream?

I study history because unlike any other subjects in school, it could be seen in two different philosophical approach: the mainstream narrative or the counter narrative. The mainstream narrative is often whitewashed by those who believe that white power should be restored and often oppresses people of color while the counter narrative is the narrative often hidden from us because it holds much truth. During the 1800’s, slaves could never be knowledgeable on their identities. We are the slaves of the twenty first century. We are prevented to know our history because of a fear that we will strike back. They fear that by studying history, people of color such as myself, will lead future generations to deny white power and to destroy the power structure placed upon us.

Ask me again these two questions: Why do I study history? What would happen if I haven’t studied history? I study history because things need to change starting with this generation. As sung by Whitney Houston, “the children are our future,” children today need to understand the oppression and circumstances behind our history. Children will be future leaders that can differentiate between the right and the wrong; those with power and those with privilege; and knowledge over ignorance. Learning and understanding history will prevent us to electing an anti-feminist, homophobic, islamophobic and xenophobic of a president such as Donald Trump. Without the understanding of history, I will be an ignorant individual, unaware of racism and how it affects us. Without history, I would have not realized that certain things exist: the racial wealth gap, class hierarchy, anti-black crime, anti-LGBT laws, the use of marriage as a method of imperialism, and many more. I have never in my life been glad to ‘hit the books.’