Letter to the editor: A poetic take on recent racist incident at Bread Loaf

My Fellow Bread Loafers   Unlikely you’ve read or heard yet. There are sheets, inscribed. Hanging from the Inn’s deck. Nailed to an Annex post. One, across the field, waving   from Tamarack. Painted red and black. We Belong Here Too. I’m guessing you can imagine what it refers to.   Pushing back, the phrase goes, to what a local yelled. From his pick-up truck. At a mother and her children. Sitting on a blanket.   By what appears to be the cottage, Fritz. Where families stay. Faculty and … (read more)

Middlebury College’s 104-year-old Bread Loaf campus is a scenic bastion of serenity and creativity. But that Rockwellian portrait was momentarily shattered by a senseless act of racism at around 7:10 p.m. on Sunday, June 30.

The Mount Abraham Unified School District wants to start conversations about diversity, equity and efforts to address racism in the district and broader community.

Over three dozen community members stood before the Mount Abraham Unified School Board on Tuesday, united in their plea for district officials to instate anti-racist education for teachers and staff and curriculum for students following a recent incident … (read more)

As co-facilitators of Addison County BIPOC+, we are writing in support of Esther Charlestin, Justice Elijah, and the crucial work they are doing to advance equity and dismantle oppression in our schools and communities. 

Greg Akinbiyi had a simple, heartfelt message for Addison Central School Board members at their Sept. 25 meeting. “I am scared to send my son to school,” said Akinbiyi, who is Black and who recently moved to Middlebury with his 19-month-old child. 

I must candidly convey that the mention of my name within the article did not feel like appreciation. Instead, it felt more like an attempt to dismiss Esther Charlestin’s experiences, conveyed through a tone reminiscent of, “I have a Black friend, and loo … (read more)

When I heard, a year and a half ago, that Esther Charlestin was going to be the Dean of Climate and Culture at Middlebury Union Middle School, I was thrilled.

Ms. Esther Charlestin was hired to do and took on arguably the most unpopular position in any school, a charge she attempted to fill with grace and honesty.

I was sad but not a bit surprised to learn of the overt racism Esther Charlestin experienced during her year as Dean of Culture and Climate at Middlebury Union Middle School. 

We hear community members calling for us to do better and to respond. We want to share with certainty: We have moved beyond acknowledging the problem. We are committed to doing the work that will make change within our schools. 

Esther Charlestin was incredibly helpful to us last year in helping our son (and us) adjust to Middle School and creating a 504 plan. I know it wasn’t always easy! As a family, we are deeply saddened by the experience that she had, but not surprised. 

I am writing in support of Esther Charlestin, the previous Dean of Climate & Culture at Middlebury Union Middle School. I am asking our community to hear the truth about racism in Vermont and acknowledge her concerns about lack of support. 

The Addison Central School District has announced new and ongoing efforts to battle racism and intolerance in wake of the recent resignation of Middlebury Union Middle School Dean of Climate & Culture Esther Charlestin, who cited two racially-charged inci … (read more)

Middlebury Union Middle School’s first-ever dean of climate & culture has resigned from her job after only one year.