Letter to Editor Attempted to Justify White Supremacy, Racism
As a lifelong Pleasantville resident and a reader of The Examiner, I was horrified to read a racist letter to the editor published on Aug. 18 (“Black Lives Matter Practices Violence, Revenge, Not Racial Harmony”).
The author referred to their “amusement” at the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner on Quaker Road in Chappaqua. There is nothing remotely amusing about torching a message that expresses the inherent value of our Black neighbors and community members. Fire has long been a symbol and tool of white supremacist agendas. Overseas, Nazis wielded torches, burning buildings and symbols of Jewish life. Closer to home, this fire evokes the torches, fire bombs and lynchings of the KKK.
In the months following George Floyd’s death, it’s estimated that between 15 million and 30 million people have participated in demonstrations to demand change. In Pleasantville, a group of high school students organized a stunning call to action and celebration of Black life.
Since Jacob Blake was shot seven times by police officers, the sports world has taken a unified stand like nothing we’ve ever seen before. Book groups, community action coalitions, school curriculum overhauls and workplace policy changes have swept through the country. A few weeks ago, a 12-year-old Quaker from our community joined the calls for change and painted a banner to express neighborly goodwill and a message of political solidarity.
The wheels are in motion. In Westchester’s small, predominantly white communities, it’s our job to make sure our Black neighbors are safe, valued and welcome. Under no circumstances can we condone the hate-filled burning of a 12-year-old’s expression of solidarity and care. Under no circumstances should The Examiner publish an ill-informed, racist justification of white violence.
Charlotte Hill
Pleasantville
