Dear Editor,
Korean students being uncomfortable with a flag associated with terrors of war inflicted upon their country and people seems like a normal reaction [re Flag has place in Langley classroom and history]. Removing the flag from the room isn’t out of fear, but consideration of those who don’t wish to see a symbol of oppression to them in a place that is meant to be welcoming to everyone.
While, yes, there are horrible things that happened to many different peoples and cultures, taking down a flag isn’t a hard thing to do to have students, whose families may have been victims of events of the war, feel less uncomfortable in class.
Not just by looking back do we learn and progress to a better community, but looking back and understanding why some historical events were wrong is how we move forward.
Museums and history classes do recount certain triumphs and failings of humanity.
Memorabilia with negative associations to some people are best to be shown in an environment for learning about it, with it being in a case or on a table, not on the wall where it might seem to be celebrated.
Removing things such as statues from parks or flags from classrooms doesn’t erase history or destroy evidence, but would benefit to help society progress past divides of who did what to whom in the past and focus on togetherness for the future.
The smoldering ruins of war, although significant in our lives, perhaps should be in the rearview mirrors and not around us all the time.
Adam Ramsay, Langley City