Facing truth

I welcome the opportunity to point to life threatening parallels in our personal and political worlds.

To the editor:

The longer I live the more I see how family difficulties and those that must be confronted in our society have parallels. One mutual theme is denial — in therapist lingo it is far, far more than a river in Egypt. It is the inability or refusal to see glaring truth. For example, when a daughter speaks up about sexual abuse — most often by a close family member — her mother often refuses to believe her for myriad reasons, usually supported by other family members, including siblings. In time, with support, a violated young person can move on with their own life, even if rejected by blood relatives. Let’s use this lens to look at the sneaky removal of the truth about the people enslaved by George Washington at the President’s House.

It is not coincidental that it was done in the cover of darkness by those who refuse to face the truth. The panels depict violations endured by human beings treated like chattel. They were ugly things to consider, but they were things America must face. Regardless of the stony path of reality, a country, like a family, must face the truth to move forward together with any semblance of health. Once we find the courage to confront reality together, there is no problem that we cannot solve.

Of course, a young, abused woman whose family does not face the truth of her hell can move on. But a split on the truth is something America cannot survive. Tragically, this split is being fed by leadership in Congress and the White House. There is only one way to address this cancer in our midst. There is only one way for America to survive. I ask all who support Donald Trump to face the truth: We no longer have a president leading and inspiring America. We have only a dictator, committed to denying us the opportunity to come together and heal.

SaraKay Smullens
Philadelphia

Published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 2, 2026