PUTNEY — On Wednesday, Sept. 27, I went for a walk before sunset.
Heading up Kimball Hill, I noticed several brightly colored objects scattered around the sidewalk ahead of me. As I approached, I saw three carrots, one broken in half, and two green plastic bags discarded a bit farther up.
Those who have children at Putney Central School are probably aware that the school offers a program called Food for Kids, giving students the opportunity to go "shopping" for free groceries at school each Wednesday.
I imagined that perhaps some PCS kids had been walking home from school, maybe munching on snacks out of their food bags, and then discarded the bags and carrots.
That's when I was stunned to see that one of the halves of the broken carrot had been used to draw a swastika in the middle of the sidewalk.
* * *
My impulse was to get distance from the symbol, and I started walking again. Then I stopped to process what I'd just encountered.
I turned and saw someone I know walking up the hill, a member of the Putney Selectboard. I pointed out the swastika. We chatted for some minutes. The Selectboard member took photos and said they would bring this up at the upcoming meeting, then walked on.
I knelt down and picked up a broken carrot end. I pressed it into the pavement, connecting the free ends of the swastika to its corners, transforming it into a quartered square. The carrot made for a surprisingly smooth crayon. I drew more squares and rectangles, stacking one on top of the other, creating a hopscotch board of sorts.
I put the carrots into the green plastic bag and took them away to dispose of.
* * *
A transgression etched in local, organic carrot. What might one of our Putney children be reflecting to our community?
Children will use the tools available to them. The adults in their lives get to decide what tools to offer them. The children get to decide how to use what's offered.
Thanks to the organizing efforts and labor of many Putney community members, PCS children have regular access at school to nourishing, local, farm-fresh food.
Could our community also put that level of effort and care into regularly providing experiences that help PCS students expand their cultural awareness and understanding?
Jessica Greene is a mediator, writer, and mother living in Putney.
This Voices Viewpoint was submitted to The Commons.