To the Editor:
I write in response to Gina Despres’ letter that appeared in the March 9th edition of The Wanderer. Ms. Despres has clearly articulated the controversy currently existing in the schools and libraries of the three towns and I applaud her for her effort. I would neither add nor subtract any of her words; however, I would argue that rather than “…people in our society who—willfully or not—prefer going backwards into the segregated and closed-minded times of the 1950s …” need to go back more than 400 years when people of color were forcibly brought here in chains.
Although I no longer reside in Mattapoisett, I lived there for 25 years, served on the ORR school committee, and continue to care deeply about the residents of the tri-town area, especially its students. I am saddened by the articles and letters that have been published in various newspapers and shocked by the attitudes expressed therein.
Ms. Despres has performed an important service and I applaud her for reminding all of us that “embracing our human melting pot is embracing our whole truth, our whole reality, no matter the generation.”
Cindy Johnson
The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.