I lived through the shameful times of colored neighborhoods, colored water fountains, separate movie theater seating areas, separate schools (with hand-me-down textbooks), and segregated churches. I remember that Negro folks weren’t allowed at the public pool, nor were they allowed on the ‘White” beach. I went to a state university where black Americans weren’t allowed to attend but where they could work in the cafeteria. In my twenties I remember looking through the ‘help wanted’ ads in a newspapers that were divided between colored and white jobs, as well as jobs for males and females..

Teaching today’s students the bitter truth that for decades systemic racism shaped public policy—such as denying equal job and housing opportunities and limiting economic progress—is simply relaying the facts about an intentional stacked deck. It doesn’t demonize anyone, but it shines a light on how bad things came to be. And it grants youth a chance to decide for themselves how to avoid such cruel inequity in generations to come. In other words, it tells the truth and lets the learner make of that truth what they will.

Step Four of the twelve steps in Alcoholic Anonymous-type recovery programs asks individuals to “make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves,” in order to move forward into healing. As an entire country, Germany, ever since around 1990, has managed to do just that with many examples of commemoration that demonstrate the country’s willingness to face painful truths while contributing to an honest history lesson—lest they forget.  https://www.thelocal.de/20161019/how-germany-remembers-the-holocaust-world-war-two-nazis-jewish-history-germans/

Too many flag-waving Americans are in denial about their addiction to the glorified version of our beloved country. They want to paper over the cracks and flaws, and they proclaim that to criticize means to demean. It can mean that, sure, but it also means to assess, to analyze, and to evaluate—to bring into the light of day. Nothing hidden can contribute to healing.

As an editor, I believe that an effective critique of a piece of writing can operate the same as a critique of a society. Okay, it exposes the shortcomings, but in order to be a ‘searching a fearless assessment’, it also offers exposes areas needing improvement. Then it’s up to the writer, the student, or the citizen to create an upgrade they can be proud of.

Does anyone else have stuff you’ve written haunting you because there’s some good writing in there—and some not so good—and it needs your help? You’re a better writer now because the more you write the better you get, yes? So, you know that if you went back in and tore it apart, you could make it better.

Okay, switching POV now. Over several years, I sat down and wrote three novels (okay so one is more of a borderline novella, but that’s not the point). Then I self-published them with Amazon. They needed work. Rewrites, stronger verbs, heavy editing. Clearer heads needed to prevail, but I was new and green and hadn’t read any of the valuable books about writing.

Then I wrote another one that I never did anything with, then I wrote some short stories and essays and, and, and. Then I became a grandmother, twice. And I loved it. I didn’t write—not much, anyway. Then Covid 19 came.

My time with the kids was severely limited, I was determined to make my isolation time meaningful, so I took the novel with the best story and began a re-write. I belong to an international writing group, and we share our work and critique for each other every two weeks. For the past year that’s what I’ve done. I’m down to the last several chapters, and in spite of all the workshops and websites with advice as to how to publish, I’m stuck. Will I do anything with my story or will I chicken out?

It probably—never mind, definitely—needs a professional editor. They’re expensive. Is there a possibility that a good editor could be the difference between a hobby and a successful career move? Could I invest some money in my craft and have it become a best seller and maybe even a movie? Meh. Probably not that good. But then I’m no judge. I’m lacking objectivity.

I’ll need to make a decision in a couple of months. But in the meantime, I’m stuck