What we are seeing all over the country is not something we are immune here in Vermont. We have a disproportionate number of people of color incarcerated and getting pulled over in our state. In Burlington last year a young man was shoved up against a wall and knocked unconscious by a Burlington Police Officer and was dragged away. We are not immune.
I often hear white Vermonters say “the number of people in Vermont is very small,” this is not a big issue. The state’s Racial Equity Director, Xusana Davis said it really well, “white privilege doesn’t mean that your life isn’t hard, it just means it isn’t made harder because of the color of your skin.” That was the best, most disarming statement I’ve heard about why every person who is white should not feel threatened about having this discussion and doing something about racial injustice.
I hope that in this COVID-19 moment, where people have returned to a sense of solidarity with another, that it may very well present a moment where we can come together with the same steadfast commitment to flatten racial injustice. My hope is that here in Vermont we will tackle systemic injustice not just in law enforcement encounters, but at work, and in the community. I know this is not easy, these are difficult discussions. They challenge us individually. But that is what it is going to take to get us to a place to get us to a society that truly treats us as equals.
