Held back by a color barrier

A published letter to the editor (“Thank our white forefathers,” July 9) notes how white people (men in all cases, I suspect) invented all kinds of useful modern equipment. I wonder what additional amazing things might have been invented by non-white citizens if they had been able to attend decent public schools and colleges in this country.

And, who’s to blame for that? Well, by and large it was white people, who chose for many decades to a) not allow slaves to learn to read, and then after 1865, b) intentionally failing to fund decent schools/books/teachers for predominantly Black, Hispanic and Native American communities, and in inner cities right up through the present. What a waste of talent over the past three centuries in this country!

Here’s a case in point: when I entered West Point in 1960 there were five black cadets and maybe two or three Hispanics out of 2,400 total men. No Native Americans. The predominant culture among the cadets and the officer staff was Southern white. That color barrier was not really broken for almost another 20 years; since then many exceptionally capable non-white Army generals have come along through the academy, thank goodness. This specifically points out how much talent our nation has thrown away for over 300 years by keeping non-white men and women away from equal educational opportunity. I’m confident many would have pursued and achieved great things.

Bob Gregson

Spokane