Tom Hanks has penned a lengthy essay calling for US schools to stop whitewashing history and make changes to the curriculum taught to children.

The actor published his thoughts in Friday's (June 4) edition of the New York Times, in an opinion piece titled: "You Should Learn the Truth About the Tulsa Race Massacre".

Describing himself as a "lay historian", the 64-year-old Band of Brothers star admits that his sources of US history had been "mostly written by white people about white people" like him.

However, earlier this week the US marked the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre, which took place on May 31 and June 1, 1921.

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The tragedy saw a mob of white people attack the Black residents of a place called Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

As many as 300 people were killed and thousands more Black Americans were displaced after their homes and businesses were burned down.

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Despite being such a prolific incident, Hanks admits that he "never read a page of any school history book" about the massacre, adding: "The history of Black people — including the horrors of Tulsa — was too often left out."

Hanks then stated that - up until relatively recently - the entertainment industry had done the same thing. Accepting that this included his own movies and projects, Hanks said he knew about "the attack on Fort Sumter, Custer’s last stand, and Pearl Harbor", but was never taught about the Tulsa Massacre until last year.

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The Toy Story star believes the attack in Tulsa was "systematically ignored" perhaps because it was too much of a painful lesson for "young white ears" - and so "our predominantly white schools didn’t teach it".

He adds that he believes a "teachable moment" had been squandered for many children throughout the US.

Hanks then said that not only should schools be teaching the Tulsa Massacre, but they should also "stop the battle to whitewash curriculums to avoid discomfort for students," adding: "America’s history is messy but knowing that makes us a wiser and stronger people."

As reported by The Independent, survivors of the Tulsa Massacre and descendants of the victims are still fighting for reparations.

President Joe Biden marked the 100th anniversary of the tragedy in a speech earlier this week in Tulsa, in which he said: "For much too long the history of what took place here was told in silence, cloaked in darkness."

Biden added: "Some injustices are so heinous, so horrific, so grievous, they cannot be buried, no matter how hard people try. Only with truth can come healing."

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Tom Hanks calls for schools to stop whitewashing U.S history