Scene on Radio · Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University

Historical Maturity and Cowardice: Keeping ScOR #15

October 22, 2025·15 min·1 clip

John Bewin grew up in Mankato without learning about the largest mass execution in U.S. history that happened there.

John Bewin reads his newsletter essay reflecting on how his hometown of Mankato, Minnesota, has evolved from willfully forgetting the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 and the mass execution of 38 Dakota Sioux to embracing reconciliation efforts like monuments and educational programs. He contrasts this progress with national political resistance to historical truth-telling, arguing that facing painful history is a sign of maturity, not weakness.

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