The Whitewashing of the Past

i'm trying to figure out what the political purpose of this is, ecause i have two interpretations to it, which are floating in my mind. So one is that the attemptt, for example, with the knocking down of statues, there's an element of wanting to whitewash the past. And so that obviouslys it's a purpose of whitewashing. Then there's the other interpretation, which is very much trying to say that the evils of slavery, of oppression, fraceism, et cetera, are continuous and almost trans historical. That refuses to acknowledge progress made in slavery. Thereis an element of reconstituting racism even to day. I think