Race and American Memory

by Roger Cohen
Elyse Bower
May 4,2008

This article compares how the holocaust and Americas battle with race. The author points out how the United States has a huge memorial to the holocaust's and the victims weren't even American. He then goes on to say that our museum to the civil rights movement is not as grand. He makes a good point when he says that it takes time for people to realize what has happened in history. He qoutes someone by saying that America is ready for a Museum of African American history that was approved by congress in 2003. The author feels that if Obama wins the race it will show Americas victory over visceral blemish. The author tells of his experience in Berlin where a museum was being built for the holocaust and how the same company that was responsible for the toxic gas was contributing to the funding of the museum. The main point is that it takes time for people to accept responsibility for what happened in history and get past their guilt. I liked this article and the author seemed knowlegable about the museums because he has visited them. He gets to the point and dosen't stray far from it.