I've
always found this very distressing...the idea that presenting the facts will
somehow say that you condone them. I worked for the KY Derby Museum, and
we had similar problems. Now, conversely, I work for an organization
that interprets the heritage of a German Protestant group, and we must be
equally as cautious when presenting the religious history of the group to public
school.
Is the
teacher adamant? Could you come to a compromise? What about slavery?
Is that in your presentation, and does the teacher have issues with that (it
would be very interesting, I think, if slavery was okay to discuss but tobacco
wasn't).
Candace Perry
Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage
Center