BRATTLEBORO — I joined the NAACP last year to support my diverse students and children and to be a part of the conversation. I was surprised and proud to find the NAACP in our little town of Brattleboro, one of the least diverse places in the country.
I knew the NAACP as a powerful voice in Washington, D.C., when I lived there years ago. I knew about the positive reforms the organization brought forth in our nation's history. Now, this piece of important history is here in Windham County. I was intrigued.
I attended a meeting one night last summer and was surprised by the White faces, like mine, that I saw. And the conversations we had. I was ready to be out of the loop, not up on the news, an outsider looking in. But this was small-town Vermont, a place I lived for 20 years. I quickly found places to connect to, a cause to discuss, a review of who our elected officials were and what they were doing. It was comfortable.
And then, I got busy with life and did not participate anymore. But I was still an NAACP member; I continued to get newsletters and meeting invites, and I stayed in the loop.
My complacency and inaction reminded me of the saying, “They came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew....” And I realized my busy silence was not enough.
I am Jewish, my children are Latino, and I work with indigenous peoples. In our history, we have struggled, been marginalized, and persecuted. Larry McDermott of the Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation says we are guided by Natural Law and the worldview that we are one humanity and one species among many. COVID can shift us into a more compassionate, respectful way of living.
So I've reached out to the NAACP again and learned of the many positive ways they are working to support our community. Such organizations bridge our humanity, helping people come together, support, bear witness, build empathy and action, and remind us of our shared understanding, no matter our background.
Our local chapter is undergoing a membership drive challenge: 300 new members for 2020. At just $30 a year with numerous ways to be involved, this is one way we can come together, be heard, and support one another. Together we can create a place where the social, economic, political, and inter-personal power of people of color and their allies living in our country can thrive.