PUTNEY — I write to address the proposal for a Black Lives Matter mural in Putney, on the roadway in front of the school.
We are in the midst of a time of trials in our world, and our lovely small Vermont villages are not immune. How will we respond? Who do we want to be?
In particular, we white people who have long felt entitled to be comfortable and to enjoy all the rights and privileges that our area has to offer are now being pressed to make good on our claims of color-blindness and equal rights for all. It is our turn to bear some discomfort, to take up the burden of working for a community where all feel equally welcomed and for whom our government protections are secure.
I've been struggling through the double whammy of pandemic and the recent loss of my husband, and I have not been at the height of strength and clarity. I decided to bring this Black Lives Matter mural matter to my lifelong Black friend for consultation. She and her family have fought for civil rights from slavery times through many generations.
She was sorry to hear that our little Vermont town, which she has visited and loved, is not secure for all. No lack of clarity to her response.
“If there has ever been or is now or will be a Black child in that school, then of course you must make the mural there,” she said.
So, my conclusion is, this is not the time for heel-dragging, for lengthy processing while all come to terms with change. This is the time for black-and-white clarity, spelled in indelible ink for all to see: Racism will not be tolerated here. Hate has no home here. Our children are safe, and we support them. We are capable of making the changes within ourselves and of moving forward swiftly.