June is National Immigration Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the diverse peoples and cultures that have made America great. This year, when not only immigration and cultural diversity are being challenged, but also the complex history of our country is being erased, it is more important than ever that we stop and examine the record of who we are and how we got to where we are as a country and as an American people.

First, we should never forget that this country was born with two “original sins”: slavery and genocide. The current administration in Washington wants to rewrite our history by eliminating mention of negative events and practices that defined our past, focusing instead on the “greatness and industriousness” of our founders and their “glorious victories.” In reality, there would be no America if not for the surplus wealth created by the labour of enslaved people across the South and the riches accrued by those who benefited from the theft of Indigenous peoples’ lands.

Nor should it be forgotten, although it is, that the Declaration of Independence names one reason for the War of........

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