When I was a teenager, after reading the “Diary of Anne Frank,” I always asked myself if I had lived in Germany in the 1930s, would I have spoken up and done the right thing. Right now is my 1930s.

On May 14, 10 innocent lives were taken by a white supremacist and domestic terrorist in a grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y. On the very same day in the state of Vermont, the VTGrassRoots organization and the state’s Republican Party were hosting two men who further racist and hateful ideology and alt-right propaganda. If you go to VTGrassRoots website, you will see a video repeating the lie that the 2020 election was stolen. In that video, you will see people of color putting ballots in a ballot box. This is accompanied by very dark and dramatic music. If you are easily fooled, it might lead one to assume that they are stuffing ballot boxes. It only furthers the narrative that our country is being “stolen” or “replaced” by people of color.

This is violent and harmful and we will continue to see domestic terrorist acts committed in this country due to white supremacy. There is no proof presented in the video that anything was stolen, just snippets of dark and grainy pictures that promote lies.

I am sure there are those who feel that they are expressing their right to free speech. But because your free speech is hate speech, your rights end where the dignity of others begins. Please take a stand against racism and hate in this beautiful state. Please vote for candidates that will continue and build on values that allow everyone to live with dignity and respect in our country.

Patricia New

North Ferrisburgh