A Book Review of "Riot and Remembrance"

Book: Riot and Remembrance:The Tulsa Race War and Its Legacy
Author: James Hirsch
The book "Riot and Remembrance" is a poignant reminder for us to be vigilant for the truth.
The book narrates the story of the race riot that happened in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1912. It also analyzes the cause and the great divide between whites and colored people.
The idea that forgiveness without reparation is unacceptable was also advanced by the book. Reparation is warranted since the government of Oklahoma was guilty because they helped the white mobs to annhilate the whole black town. There are even pictures where blacks are carted out to concentration camps by national guards.
It also talks about the heroic acts of some black individuals who stood up for their rights regardless of consequences. For the first time in history black Americans were united and dauntless in asserting and protecting their rights.
The author, James Hirsch, was successful in bringing to the open the horrid past that the government and white people of Tulsa, Oklahoma tried to hide and forget.
Good white Americans were guilty too because they allowed others to do horrendous acts to the black community of Tulsa.
Should America try to forget the past and move on? They cannot fully disregard the past without exorcising the ghost of injustice and bigotry. They must accept that they committed horrible acts to different peoples at different times.
As I read the book I can't help but to conclude that injustice will only triumph if weak people allow powers-that-be to control and subjugate them.
The question that remains then is: Is this kind of racism still happening today? The anwer is a resounding YES! It is as real as the oxygen we breathe. Just look around us: It may happen in its subtlest form but it is as real as it was before.