Talking to kids about race and justice

When Trayvon Martin was killed in Florida in 2012, Joanna Colwell’s daughter was 11 years old. Just old enough, Colwell recalled, to walk by herself to the store in East Middlebury for a Snapple. “It was not in my consciousness that she could be the victim of violence,” Colwell said. “And that is what it is for Black parents.” Seventeen-year-old Trayvon had been walking back from a convenience store when he was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. “I was very in my bubble,” Colwell acknowledged. “But, as a … (read more)

In this unique moment in the national debate over racial justice, particularly as it is being portrayed through acts of police brutality, we are all asked to do the hard work of looking within, to examine our own wells of systemic racism and flush them ou … (read more)

ADDISON COUNTY AND BRANDON — People started gathering in College Park, the former site of the Middlebury town offices, a little before 6 p.m. on Saturday. As the numbers swelled it became obvious that pandemic or not many Vermonters were so upset that the … (read more)

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott gave these remarks at a Monday press conference: I want to start by addressing the tragic death of George Floyd in Minnesota. The reactions, justifiable outrage, that it sparked across the nation … I also want to remind everyone of … (read more)

Editor’s note: This is the 58th in a series of essays on the history and meaning of the American political tradition. Racism is a prejudice, and prejudices are antithetical to truth. Therefore, the expression “scientific racism” is a contradiction of term … (read more)

Here we go again. It is hard to understand what college Republicans were thinking when they decided to once again invite Charles Murray to speak at Middlebury College. One can only assume this is meant to be a deliberate provocation to students (and other … (read more)

In September of 2018, a 30-year-old, off-duty police officer in Dallas, Texas, named Amber Guyger mistakenly entered her neighbor’s apartment, instead of her own. Guyger’s apartment was on the third floor, but she entered the apartment of her neighbor, Bo … (read more)