Story highlights Hanks is honored for fostering a broader awareness of history

He says dialogue is the way to deal with controversial monuments

Washington (CNN) Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks on Saturday night urged the importance of understanding and learning from history, especially for those troubled by the current state of affairs.

"People are upset about what's going on today. They're furious, they're frustrated, they're worked up," Hanks said. "If you're concerned about what's going on today, read history and figure out what to do because it's all right there."

Hanks was honored by the National Archives Foundation with the "Records of Achievement Award" at their annual gala in Washington. The award "is the highest honor given by the National Archives Foundation to an individual whose work has fostered a broader national awareness of the history and identity of the United States through the use of original National Archives records," according to a statement from the foundation.

"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 the statement.

Asked about how to deal with Confederate monuments, statues of Christopher Columbus, and their role in marking history, Hanks said it was important to have a dialogue.

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