Vermont is not immune to racial problems. Here, racial profiling by police results in rates of traffic stops, searches, and arrests of people of color that far outstrip those of white people and exceed those of many other states, when viewed on a per capita basis. We suspend kids of color from school at much higher rates than white kids; and we incarcerate African American men at one of the highest rates in the country.
These may be system problems, but systems aren’t impersonal and external, they are us - our laws, values, practices, livelihoods, and co-workers. They’re our social fabric, woven right through our schools and town halls. So we see police departments in Rutland and Bennington embroiled in lawsuits about racial discrimination and profiling.
In Ferrisburgh at the Rokeby Museum, part of the Underground Railroad during slavery, Black Lives Matter signs drew angry complaints. In Craftsbury, a Black Lives Matter sign at Sterling College was stolen and, in another incident, a resident reported a dead black cat left by a Black Lives Matter sign near his apartment.
There’s vague mention of the possibility of a community program of some kind related to the events. But the conversations, and problems, start earlier. Blunt questions white children ask about race are often shushed, out of adult embarrassment or desire to be “colorblind.” This could result in kids learning there’s something wrong with talking about difference, or with difference itself, not that race is a complicated subject.
Silence breeds prejudice, and research shows children can grow up to be more prejudiced than their parents. We need to reframe the saying “the children are our future” to acknowledge that the future is also us, and everything we do, right now.
So yes, talk about racism, end silences with kids and in our communities. Most importantly – act. Actively support Black Lives Matter, vote to set budgets and leadership for local law enforcement, insist on civilian police oversight, demand change to penal system practices.
And, perhaps, think about whether policing and prisons make us safer, or if “safety” might be what happens when we each get to live a healthy and satisfying life. Because, what would happen if we shifted resources from police and prisons to safe and affordable housing; to wages and pensions enough for self-sufficiency; to good jobs, education, and healthcare for everyone; and to protecting and providing for the rights and needs of every single one of us?
