Thoughts inspired by among others, Barack Obama's address in The Medium, titled "How to Make this Moment the Turning Point for Real Change". Much of the text is taken from Barack Obama's article, however, I am responsible for the overall content.
Her tensile threads are woven by many hands of many colors. Stripes of different colors banded together, stars reflecting high aspirations against an ocean blue weighing the depth of resolve to live up to this nation's highest ideals - including equal treatment - for all people.
Today, her threads are torn, tattered; while some remain taciturn, many are speaking out, turning out, crying out in waves of peaceful, courageous, responsible, and inspiring protest - we must more than mend her, for she is but a reflection of how we treat each other.
To remain frozen in place, or to revert back to the past is to ignore the many harbors without breakwaters - while we endure buffered waves, others bear crashing seas. Our harbors must protect us all, we need laws and institutional and cultural norms for all our ports for all our people, for each and every one. If one stitch of our institutional practices fails, our flag begins to unravel. If we stay frozen in place our flag will not unfurl, will not wave in the breeze, will not shine as it was meant to as an ideal for all of our nation.
Do we need to change the stars and stripes pattern and symbols? No. However, we must move beyond the practices of yesterday and today. Those strategy threads and codes of behavior were not and are not strong enough to support equal justice for us all.
We each need to model, to live the higher ethical code we envision in the symbol of our flag, and read of in our Constitution and Bill of Rights, in what we espouse to be the American Way.
Our tattered flag highlights just as the peaceful protest raises, public awareness of injustice and the need to listen to and address the concerns of those in marginalized communities. With a virus that knows no social barriers* and an economic system (that gives preferences but) that has no guaranteed loyalty to any individual, many are recognizing how easy it is to find themselves falling into the edge of society that is denied work, income, health care, and political, and social activities due to no fault of their own.
*Though no one is immune, within the coronavirus pandemic, black and Latinx people in many communities have been disproportionately likely to become ill and die. Vox
*Many Americans who considered themselves proud members of the middle class until the pandemic are suddenly experiencing the social stigma of lining up for free food. Washington Post
Where do we begin? The core of our culture and our institutions is at state and local levels. There is where we can most clearly see and define the specific needs for given locations and communities. At state and local levels we can more easily know the candidates for public office and vote for those who know which strategies will work best and then act on reform tailored to specific community needs.
Upsetting is our news, upsetting it is to see our beloved symbol of what our country represents - our flag, faded, shredding from fatigue, overburdened with unequal gusts, frozen in time and place, at times too rigid to bend with the wind.The stars debased, despondent, hidden in disgrace, contrasting in a division with the stripes.
Encouraging are voices calling out for newly formed threads to bond our flag in one equal pattern of fortitude. WE CAN DO HARD THINGS one poster in Jericho reads.
Our flag may be threadbare. However, we do have the ideal pattern. We do know how to listen to and recognize and reject those threads of prejudice and inequality that are woven into our current flag. We know how to utilize stronger more effective threads. We know how to create bonds that keep anyone from facing a harder time in any given situation, than the rest of us.
We can listen for the rips in the fabric of our flag, in our communities. We can listen with empathy, listen to understand. Is it painful to hear? Yes. To do otherwise only delays a more destructive tear.
We can cast ballots for the stars who hold high ethics and ideals, who listen, who will build social justice strategies tailored for our communities.Our flag is a symbol. Our symbol is in disrepair mirroring some aspects of our culture, of our institutions. It is up to each of us to hear and see the faulty weavings, recognize they exist, accept the responsibility to replace them to ensure the pattern that we hold our hands to our hearts to, remains a beacon to our society, our communities and to the rest of the world.
Bernie Paquette
Jericho, Vermont
Anti-racism resources:
bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES
Obama Foundation Educational section
VPR Vermont Edition's panel on race, racism, and anti-racism here in the state. (Listen - Podcast)
Black Lives Matter of Greater Burlington
VT Racial Justice Alliance
Justice for All Vermont
Vt Racial Justice Alliance and Justice for All Vermont are headed up by Mark Hughes. The Alliance is led by a Steering Committee of People of Color, including Rev. Arnold L Thomas of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.
Rev. Arnold Isidore Thomas: Crisis will only worsen until priorities change (VT Digger)
Bishop Shannon MacVean-Brown on racism and grief (VT Digger)
This from Gaye Symington of Jericho
Nick Richardson, CEO of the Vermont Land Trust and Jericho resident, recently posted a thoughtful blog about the land trust’s coming to terms with racial and social injustice in land access and ownership. He also provides suggestions of resources to learn more about land access and equity, such as Leah Penniman’s book, Farming While Black, a two episodes of the New York Times podcast “1619” that address discriminatory practices that led many Black farmers to lose their land. And he suggests organizations to support that are led by people of color.
Browns Trace, Jericho, Vermont
NOFA Vermont also offered resources for learning about race and our food system, drawing attention to a library of racial food equity articles compiled by Food Solutions New England and encouraging us to learn about the experience of Vermont farmworkers and the Abenaki community’s history and current experience.
And this also from Gaye S.: Lauren Montgomery-Rinehart, who lives in Jericho, sent me a link to a useful website, with reading lists and a video for learning about racism and how to be anti-racist: https://www.notariot.com/ From the site: This reading list was made with the intention of helping you, and anyone who has witnessed the rapidly-expanding protests of the last few weeks, navigate your own feelings, and field questions you or others may have surrounding the protests. Here, we encourage you to teach yourselves with these readings, to broaden and deepen your understanding of the protests and their purpose. One of the first steps of understanding is to listen. Now is the time to listen to and elevate Black voices. …
Sign in Jericho, Vermont
This from Bruce MacPherson, of Green Mountain Audubon Society,
I hope you will enjoy watching this wonderful Seven Days video of Audubon Vermont's Debbie Archer birding at the Green Mountain Audubon Center during Black Birders Week. Debbie is the Education Coordinator at the Center and in this video, her buoyant personality just sparkles. Here is the link. https://m.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/stuck-in-vermont-birding-with-debbie-archer-of-audubon-vermont-during-black-birders-week/Content?oid=30573757
Jericho Vermont Images of Community
Intimate, caring, and personal;
reflecting the community and its stories.
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