To the Editor:
The 19th century society of Hester Prynne deemed her sin so egregious that she was forced to forever and publicly wear her Scarlett letter.
What are the sins of modern day Easton that our wonderful town, residents, and her posterity to be forced to forever and publicly be humiliated with the 21st century equivalent, an indelible, permanent, gigantic “R” for Racism, “Easton is Racist”, should our town vote to approve the “ Easton Resolution on Racism and Public Health” on May 4th?
Sad but true, Racism and bias exists throughout the world, tragic flaws of the human condition.
I believe that the vast majority of Americans recognize this, recognizing and consciously working to overcome what bias they may harbor, as well as working to help their fellow Americans to do the same, and also helping persons who experience and have been hurt instances of bias. And strong US laws thankfully support the same.
In my opinion, Systemic Racism does not exist in Easton, the State of Connecticut, or our great country. Flawed individuals do not constitute Systemic.
The steady if not fast progress over the past 75 years has been impressive, something for all Americans to be proud of. It seems impossible to reconcile our country as systemically racist when so many people of color so proudly serve the highest offices in the land, including President Obama and VP Harris. How possibly could they and so many other people of color be elected in systemically racist country?
I will vote to reject the “Easton Resolution on Racism and Public Health” on May 4th as now written because as I stated for the public record at the April 26 annual Town Meeting, “It is not Easton”, the proposed Resolution being a solution in search of a problem. The May 4th vote itself is to be a permanent part of Easton history, and the results of accepting this document as written, perhaps also permanent. Do we deserve the World and our posterity to see that Easton has thought so little of herself that despite her myriad virtues, we saw fit to deem ourselves racist?
As explained at the Town Meeting, the Resolution was a template created far away from Easton, that some in our local government saw fit to add the word “Easton” to.
We are not that “Template.” We are far better, we are not racist, and we will be wise and right to reject the Resolution as written on May 4th. Thank you.
Bill Gardella
Easton
