In Washington, it is a requirement to take and pass a Washington State History class to graduate high school. Students are barely taught about the plight of Native Americans and even what they are taught is watered down to make things more palatable. I always knew that the history we are taught in school hid a lot of details but it was not until I saw a TikTok about Memaloose Island on the Columbia River between Washington and Oregon that it became incredibly clear how little we are taught. When I took Washington State history in 2007 at Chinook Middle School, the history of the natives was quickly passed over and we were moved into the life of settlers in Washington and how our state became known for lumber. There was very little taught about the life of Native Americans, how they were treated, how they were removed from their land, and what was looted and stolen from the Natives besides their land.
 
Up until around 2016, there were only three middle schools in the district named, Chinook, Nisqually, and Komachin. While these schools have partnered with the Nisqually Tribe to bring more information to the students there is still a lot missing.
 
It is unfair that our schools are whitewashing the history being taught to the students. We cannot continue to hide the truth from these students and minimize the suffering of the many Native tribes that lived in what we now know as Washington state.