New York: For all the people concerned about the state of the world today, Hollywood actor Tom Hanks has a special message for you all.
The 62-year-old actor, who was present at the National Archives Foundation’s annual gala in Washington, spoke of the importance of learning from the past as a way to navigate the complexities of the present, reports CNN.
Hanks said, “People are upset about what’s going on today. They’re furious, they’re frustrated, they’re worked up. If you’re concerned about what’s going on today, read history and figure out what to do because it’s all right there.”
Adding, “As we continually move towards a more perfect union, That magnificent document (the US Constitution) out there, that might be the only self-correcting, open-ended document anywhere on the planet Earth (that) keeps us going, that keeps saying that we’re going to learn how to do that one thing we’ve already sort of done, we’re going to become better and better and better.”
When asked about the issues surrounding the legacy of Confederate monuments and statues of Christopher Columbus, Hanks noted, “Let’s have that discussion, let’s have that be part and parcel to an ongoing re-examination about what is taught about [America’s founding]. But the destruction, the destruction is anti-social, period, the end. Be intelligent, and be smart, write about it, bring it up, talk about it.”
The Oscar-winning actor was honored by the National Archives Foundation with the “Records of Achievement Award” at their annual gala.
The Records of Achievements Award is the National Archives Foundation’s top honor, one reserved for individuals “whose work has cultivated a broader national awareness of the history and identity of the United States through the use of original records.”
“No actor has covered the span of 20th-century American history as broadly as honoree Tom Hanks,” David Ferriero, archivist of the United States, said in a statement.
(ANI)