The To the Editor:
The Resolution to declare racism a public health crisis is not about white Eastonites. It does not label Easton or its population as racist. It asks us to consider and respond to areas of inequity and bias against people of color. It asks us to be mindful of the privilege we have to address inequities and act where possible.
Unfortunately, racism is not always overt. We white Americans are often unaware of racism in our midst because we don’t experience it personally. We haven’t been stopped by police in our own driveways because of our skin color. We often look away from experiences of others that make us uncomfortable. We may turn away from books, films, essays that reveal a history that make us squirm.
But the disparity in deaths from Covid between white Americans and communities of color is evidence of the systemic racism that exists in our country. The recent antisemitic incident in Easton is an assault on mental health.
The Resolution asks us to care about others, to see things from the marginalized point of view. No one is pointing a finger. No one is pinning a scarlet letter on you. It is asking us to open up our eyes and ears and hearts and minds to systems that affect the most vulnerable and to do something about it.
I plan to vote for the Resolution and I hope others will turn out and vote for it as well.
Vicki MarkAnthony
Easton
