Recognizing a hero, Ellen Clarke

- Notes thanks to Sharon Jarrett-

The meeting began with a review and summary of the recent acknowledgement of Ellen Garrison Jackson Clark by the Altadena Community. She is buried at Mountain View cemetery
and until recently her grave was unmarked. With the installation of a grave marker, the community was made aware of her contributions to the community, as well as, those of her family,

It was noted that while similar acknowledgement was used with confederate statues, the historical narrative employed was based on desired views rather than historical truth. A local example was provided referencing a recent newspaper article about the editing of a historical marker in Old Pasadena. While the local history group caused the marker to be placed in the area of the commercial sector where Chinese immigrants began businesses, the marker failed to detail the destruction of the businesses when attacked by a white mob. Seven Chinese men were killed and the small community of about 100 fled.

A conversation about the sanitizing of history followed. It was noted that not only were details not acknowledged, the inhumane nature of these facts was not noted. An example discussed was the process used to make Christianity acceptable to the enslaved. This included noting that "Slave Bibles" existed which were heavily redacted and focused on "slaves obey your masters" rather than the totality of the document.

The comment by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas that citizens wanted a "traditional narrative" not historical facts was discussed.

The need for honesty and openness in these matters was noted. A brief discussion about the Voter Laws and Anti Abortion laws pending in Texas followed.

The need to encourage, particularly young people, to access truth, acknowledge factual history and determine a different approach was noted. The importance of providing young people with the skills to evaluate facts and sources was also discussed.

The California Recall was discussed briefly.

The meeting ended at 12:21. The next meeting will be September 17th at noon.

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