Springdale schools should teach Marshalese history

The saying “bikini bottom” is referring to a hole that was left at the bottom of the ocean at Bikini Atoll after the United States used it as a target to test out nuclear bombs. Bikini Atoll is one of very many atolls in the Marshall Islands.

It is also where the television show, SpongeBob, takes place and where the swimwear, bikini, got its name from. Nobody seems to know that because it’s not being taught at school.

Schools teach about how different people from around the world came into the U.S., but I’ve never heard them teach about my ethnicity and how and why we came into the U.S. 

No history class, at any of the schools I’ve attended, had a lesson about the nuclear bomb that was dropped at Bikini Atoll. The bomb may not have affected the people of the United States personally, but it did affect the home of the Marshallese community here in Springdale. 

Different ethnic groups and their history are getting more recognition than the Pacific Islanders, which is crazy because we’ve been here long enough for others to know why. We also have a history and it’s just not being taught. 

The topic itself needs to be recognized, so that people can finally know more about the Marshallese community. As fun as it is to learn about different ethnicities, it still bothers me that my classmates don’t know anything about the history of my people. 

The deadly weapon that was dropped left people with skin cancer and destroyed their home. 

The event is very important and sensitive to those whose loved ones were affected. If schools were ever to start teaching about it, the Pacific Islanders at school would finally have a spot to teach other people about their home and how much it impacted them. It’s only fair to start teaching about this event just like how schools are teaching about the different ethnic groups.