To the editor,
Kudos to the Board of Selectmen, and particularly First Selectman Gerard Smith, for their decision to reject the idea of racism as a public health crisis. (“Ordinance declaring racism a health crisis a no-go,” Citizen’s News, Sept. 24, 2020.)
In his comments, Mr. Smith implicitly hit the nail on the head in addressing racism for what it is: an individual issue. Are there racists in Beacon Falls? I have no doubt. Although I don’t personally know any.
Is it “systemic?” No. The term systemic racism paints us all with a very broad — and unfair — brush. In today’s culture it is being used for so much more than rectifying an immoral attitude; it is being used to besmirch the country, tear down our education system (see critical race theory), and distribute an unfair, and unearned, guilt to a lot of good people.
Gary Markman
Beacon Falls