Editor: The letter from Nov. 22 comes from a deeply flawed premise. There is a difference between learning from and understanding history, and putting up symbols of oppression in places of prominence, in this case a classroom.
In so much current discourse around flags and statues and other symbols in our communities and public spaces, there is a continual false equivalence between efforts to remove offensive imagery and what is being termed an “erasure” of history.
In one instance, efforts are being made to create welcoming public spaces and learning environments, which is far from erasure. Erasure would indicate attempts to remove reference to historical events and figures in all forms of education, in literature, etc. The flag of the Rising Sun can and should be talked about in history classrooms, but does it need to be displayed prominently throughout the day when not being referred to in a lesson? No.
Removing a symbol of oppression and a brutal regime from a classroom wall is simply ensuring that students whose own family histories may have been affected by the events in question are able to learn without unnecessary distraction. We should educate about historical figures and events, but that does not mean we need to celebrate them.
Dr. Robert Bittner, Langley City