Maine Voices: Study the past to know what we should do next The tragic history of racism in America contains some heroes that we can follow. By Steve CartwrightSpecial to the Press Herald Share Racism has reared its ugly head at the siege of the United States Capitol. Some are shocked and some, Black Americans in particular, are not. After all, our nation was built on genocide against Native Americans, and the enslavement of African people. Neither group was treated as fully human, as entitled to the same rights as the ruling whites, the Constitution notwithstanding. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Steve Cartwright is a retired Maine journalist and an advocate for social and environmental justice. He lives in Tenants Harbor with his cat, Tang.