…We were lied to.
Systematically, purposefully lied to.
The Niña the Pinta the Santa Maria.
The friendly natives offering gold and spices.
The kind benevolent explorer expanding the new world.
All talk of god and glory. Glossing over the gold, greed and genocide.

We were lied to.
Systematically, purposefully lied to.
Our state funded educators taught us state funded lies.
Once again whitewashing our history to make us the heroes.
They brushed over indiscretions and ignored the atrocities.

We were lied to.
Systematically, purposefully lied to.
Our pastors pretended the crusade was peaceful.
They painted a pretty picture of the pious pilgrimage.
They skipped all the stories of enslavement and oppression.

We were lied to.
Systematically, purposefully lied to.
Our parents perpetuated the tales of their teachers.
They passed on the fables they themselves were force-fed.
They didn’t dare lead us to their own denial and doubts.

We were lied to.
Systematically and purposefully lied to.
But the truth has been uncovered.
The evidence has been exhumed.
It stares us in the face.

We know we were lied to.
So, why can’t we let go of all the lies?
It is daunting to dig deeply into the deception.
It is tough to admit that we’ve been betrayed by our own brothers.
But they only knew what they were taught by the elders.

The way to the truth is away from the tribe.
Step outside and question the systematic lies.

…

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