Skip to main content

Precious Lives

 


Last night the Howard County Council was considering legislation to create a Racial Equity Task Force. Here is the letter I sent in support.

*****

I am writing to you today to support CR142, the legislation which will create a Racial Equity Task Force in Howard County. 

The issue of addressing the long history of racial inequity in our country has truly become the most pressing issue of our time. Generations of injustice continue to play out nationally and locally. We are all responsible for making our communities more fair, safe, healthy, and promising for those whose value has too long denied by our culture. 

I commend the Council for addressing in this issue. You are in good company. The Howard County School System has recently formulated new language  to fully articulate their policy on equity. The Howard County Library System outlines their commitment to equity in their most recent issue of Source.

These words from Library President and CEO Tonya Aikens could not be more clear:



It is heartening to learn that the Howard County Library System is one of 160 libraries nationwide that have shown a strong commitment to ending structural racism. With our schools and our library showing such unequivocal leadership, I feel strongly that the County Council has a clear path to undertaking this important work as well.

As you consider your vote to establish a Racial Equity Task Force, I ask you to ponder Ms. Aikens’ words:

We must be ever cognizant that precious lives make up the statistics on that list. Precious lives mistreated, disciplined more harshly than their White counterparts, denied opportunity, and unnecessarily cut short.

You are in a position to honor those precious lives by committing to begin the work so long overdue. Our county cannot be fully what we want it to be if we do not address our responsibilities to all our residents. 

*****

The Council voted 4-1 in support of establishing a Racial Equity Task Force in Howard County.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

Columbia Chance Connection

  Last night, as my husband and I were about to sit down to dinner, our front door swung open and a cheery voice announced, “I’m ba—ack!”  We weren’t expecting anyone. Clearly the only people who’d walk right in to our house would be one of our offspring. I had my reading glasses on so I wasn’t seeing too clearly. It seemed too tall for our youngest, but we knew our eldest was at work. I took off my glasses to see a friendly but confused face scanning our living room. When her gaze landed on us we all had a sudden realization. We didn’t know eachother. “Oh I’m so sorry! I’m in the wrong house! My daughter just moved in and she needed hooks for the kitchen so I ran out to get them.” She waved the package. “All these houses look the same and I don’t know the neighborhood yet. I thought this was my daughter’s house.” We were all getting a bit giggly. “That’s okay. For a quick second we thought you were our daughter,” said my husband. I told her our names and said she should defin...
Post a Comment
Read more