Vermont Representative Kiah Morris, an African-American woman from Bennington, announced this past summer that she will not run for reelection to a third term in the Vermont House. This was in part because of repeated racist threats and harassment against her and her family.
We find this racist behavior horrifying and harmful to us all. It hurts our hearts. It weakens our community, and it undermines the structure of our democracy. The meanness and violence of it scares us. It is worst for the direct recipients, and it is horrible for us all to know that this happens in our state.
We want a community that respects, welcomes, and supports us all, and that is safe for everybody. Let us reject racist name-calling, meanness, exclusion, death threats, and violence. Let us commit to good will, respect, and welcoming support for everyone. Let us each affirm this commitment, and make it real in our lives.
Jean Rosenberg and
Tom Baskett
on behalf of Middlebury Friends Meeting (Quakers)