Eight years ago, 10 of us met in Dummerston with Brillo pads and rubber gloves to scrub a granite rock in the Dummerston quarry which had been defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti. Last September, locals in West Glover, Vermont, raised funds to replace the side of a barn that had been defaced with racist graffiti.
In October, a rainbow church sign at the West Dover Church was slashed. Recently, two schools have dealt with cyber-bullying of Jewish students. And just a few weeks ago, horrifying “death to the Jews” graffiti was found on a sidewalk in Brattleboro. Do a web search, and you'll find the list is longer still.
Who among us would feel so strongly as to think, much less write, hate-filled speech?
The answer leads us, at best, to ignorance and, at worst, to terror.
Those who have lived long enough understand in our bones what this ignorance and terror can breed in hearts and nations. Those who have just begun their lives must wonder where this kind of hate can even come from - and yet, it is here and among us.
The questions we, as members and leaders of the faith communities, would ask is “who is not affected?” We ask that you consider your own response and where that response takes you. Given that hate speech is intended to strike fear in the hearts of those affected, we can ask if fear is where we will rest together or whether it will push us toward the unity and love at the heart of every faith tradition.
Please consider addressing the questions these actions have incited in your heart and doing what you can to create a community of compassion, one that lets us thrive together in our beautiful state.