They don’t want to associate with Ernie Royal, the historic figure this group is founded on who built a Michelin Star restaurant in Rutland and is mentioned in Who’s Who in Black American History?

https://vtdeclarationofinclusion.org/historic-roots/

Honestly, I'm completely at a loss to figure out what they meant, other than blatant racism- like I wanted to believe Highgate was better than that, especially after doing the census up there but uhh this is just confirming a lot.

Is there any downside to inclusion and diversity statements? Absolutely not.

Are such statements mostly a grand display of virtue signaling? Probably

Will such statements help secure material gains such as affordable housing, rent control, gainful employment for all of whom the statement seeks to include? Nope

Sure, and yet it seems as if making the statement and then rescinding it without specific reasons, certainly would be harmful to your town.

will rescinding it be a universally bad thing? yeah

like a diversity statement should be a 20 minute footnote at a meeting. "let's do this, done.". definitely understand not wanting to displace other important agenda items to discuss it.

... but rescinding it? that's a baaad look

Yes I agree it’s a bad look.

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Was this a “own the libs” moment?

Why, you can see the diversity right in the picture, what do we need a statement for?…. SMH

This Selectboard looks like every fucking Selectboard across the state.

No surprise that the fat old white people are against inclusion and diversity.

These lumps look better equipped to handle a spontaneous hard boiled egg eating contest than run a town.

It looks like they shaved their heads for this meeting which uhh

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Highgate doesn't get a lot of tourists.

“Everyone is great with inclusion”

What a joke. A trans woman was murdered mere months ago. Milton residents staged a blackface parade last year(edit—looking for sources—may have the town or details wrong). Adult attendees of a South Burlington High School sporting event yelled racial slurs at the kids. If these people love a state, it’s the state of denial.

ngl their 'purpose' page did put a bad taste in my mouth

edit : https://vtdeclarationofinclusion.org/purpose/

What does it say about their virtues that they don't want to make a statement...

If anyone starts a petition to get rid of select boards all together I'd sign it in a heartbeat

Inclusivity = more people want to come here as tourists.

The cops in Chester cost the town 50k for racial profiling. Then there's the cops in Bennington who failed to properly investigate hate crimes.

Vermont is one of the whitest states in the nation, and it shows.

why?

when you compare their "purposes" to the declaration they don't really match up. read the declaration and then read their "purposes". they're different enough that something seems off and i'd be skeptical too.

The whole thing is dumb. The focus on these meaningless, superficial statements is part of what allows structural inequality to continue.

I’m afraid so.

Using “virtue signaling” IS virtue signaling! spidey meme

Ain’t nothin’ ‘understood’ about this mayo-off either!

Thank you Highgate for making Rutland look less racist

Why not? He seemed to be a decent guy and Royal's was a great restaurant.

That’s pretty racist itself

Good. Why MUST everyone bow down and pledge themselves as knights of wokeness? It's ok to simply exist. You can be against racism without proclaiming it...

You cant be antiracist and remove commitments to equity.

I live in Milton and I hadn't heard about the blackface parade - can you point me in the right direction for info? I'm googling but not finding anything. (I'm not saying - at all - that it didn't happen, I just want to know what's up!)

Vermont has a lot of good people but sadly our bad people are barely human…

I’m on a committee that’s leading Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts in my county, and we met with Al Wakefield and his group when we were drafting our own Inclusion statement. I can’t imagine what the Highgate selectboard took issue with in the language on their website.

I think the only reason (other than blatant racism or xenophobia) to reject the very basic statement of inclusion that Al’s group advocates for is that it’s potentially a way for towns to feel like they’ve checked a box and virtue signal but doesn’t require any fundamental change in the status quo. The idea is, of course, that the statement is simply the first step. The actual work is making sure policies and zoning and community investment, etc is equitable.

I’m not sure what’s up in Highgate, but at least the selectboard says they’re willing to revisit the matter with more community involvement. The challenge there is that the people for whom this equity work matters the most usually don’t have the leisure time to get involved.

I’m a country as deeply racist as the US, you do in fact need to declare that you aren’t racist. The people who don’t declare it are probably racist.

What is "woke"? Tell the class what "wokeism" is. Give us a solid definition.......

You’re right, I’m not finding it on Google either, which is weird. Maybe I had the town wrong? I definitely remember reading articles about a VT town where high school students were doing a parade or group demonstration of sorts in blackface, with parents supporting them. I could’ve sworn it was Milton cause I’ve avoided it since. I’ll edit the original comment for now in case it’s not accurate and do some more searching

My guess is the opening statement here:

" Highlight the fact that we as Vermonters are not fully aware of the systemic racism that is present in our majority “white” society "

That is pretty much calling all white people racists, and if you dont think you are then you are just too stupid to see it. Gee i wonder why people are a bit miffed,lol.

I love how a whole community is labeled racist because they didn't want to adopt this statement

Holy shit, someone who gets it

No. Not racist, just oblivious. And oblivious is not synonymous with stupidity.

There are a lot of experiences a white guy will be very unlikely to experience that minorities or women do. It’s really eye opening to learn.

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It looks like three people looking to capitalize of feel good liberalism and virtue signaling. It’s a toothless statement that seeks to extort the tax payer through their ‘training’ and ‘workshops’. Fucking cringe

I moved here two years ago and just about everyone I've talked to has been lovely. There's a few of those MAGA flag trucks that drive around a lot but I just chuckle and go about my business. The dog park is awesome. This town definitely doesn't fit its old stereotype!

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Wrong-o

Yes. You can.

Mental illness.

Your choice of Oblivious implies ignorance, for some it might even be accurate. For most it is mere indifference and that seems to offend woke society at large. These kind of statements are meant to invoke shame in white people and to make them look like monsters if they dont. It is in the way that every statement is carefully crafted and worded to be just innocent enough to be missed. They build a framework that can lead to only one conclusion no matter how much evidence leads to other explanations.

A world view that endeavors to address the historical disparity between demographics and those within power structures. Often will go above and far beyond needed solutions in favor of almost punitive reparations for events long in the past. This inevitably leads to backlash as the formerly oppressed/marginalized demographics are elevated and others with the same needs are ignored.

This subreddit never fails at finding a chance to shit on Rutland even when the post has nothing to do with it. Leave Rutland alone! https://media.tenor.com/8Kjchj6pKkMAAAAd/leave-britney-alone-crazy.gif

I’ve been here in the trenches 40 years, I’ll talk about Rutland however I damn please whether I’m denigrating the Rutland Rutland’s or commiserating over our lack of a movie theater!

I think you are assigning more malice than needed.

Woke doesn’t mean “white people are bad”. It does however mean one has to look at systematic racism as it stands that you may not be aware of. The right likes to frame this as an attack, it’s not.

Where is it saying that the Highgate Town Council recinded this because they don't want to be associated with Ernie Royal?

I am assigning nothing more than an honest look at the messaging without any sense of guilt on behalf of those who came before me. The language is pretty clear from an objective point of view.

I freely acknowledge that at one time in our nation there was systemic racism, as recently as the first couple decades of my life. Using the mistakes and flaws of the past as a cudgel though is NOT the way forward. We can never make the past right but we can go forward together, i refuse to walk with those who demonize me for not being able to choose the shell i was born into.

My comment above was a question, not a statement and intended as a challenge to the Highgate select board.

The article made a reference to the Highgate select board suggesting people check the website from the group promoting the inclusion declaration, as if you would find some terrible, awful, no good, very bad info there (some kind of scandal) that would explain why it is so very important for the Highgate town council to pull a 180 even when 50% of Vermont towns support this.

According to Vice Chair Vern Brosky: “I invite all of you to go on their website and research for yourself. And don't just go on the front page, go through the whole website. It's eye-opening. They say don't judge a book by its cover — in this case, you definitely don't want to do that. Read the whole thing.” And, Bousquet declined to say what specific issues board members had with the website.

So… I went to the website of the group promoting the inclusion declaration. Did I find anything terrible, awful, no good, very bad? Anything scandalous? No. I found a story of an honorable black man on which this movement is based, a black man who is highly respected. And also found the mission statement: “to make Vermont a welcoming and safe place for all.” This I support fully and enjoyed learning about Ernie Royal as well.

So I asked here above, is that who the Highgate select board doesn’t want to associate with? Because that is what the Highgate select board implied and I find that discriminatory and sickening. And (I hope) illegal.

How about you? Do you agree with me?

Being woke isn’t about beating people with the actions of there ancestors, it’s about make people aware of what happened, what continues to happen and that correcting a this together will take non passive actions.

Even today many BIPOC individuals suffer because of the loss of multigenerational enforced poverty

Exactly. That’s my point. Ernie Royal is someone to be proud of.

If we were being honest about its history then we would be calling out Christianity and Islam, not the demographic at the end of the slave trade. Probably Capitalism too as we still have quasi legal slavery in the form of prison labor. Hell the bottom earners of all colors are in a form of economic slavery as we have the choice to work or die since you cant even live off the land anymore.

Raising Everyone out of poverty, not just BIPOC is the right answer.

I want to believe you and give Highgate/Wakefield the benefit of the doubt that their objection to the Inclusion Declaration was that the statement doesn’t go far enough but there’s this part to the article, which shows Highgate select board in a bad light:

According to Vice Chair Vern Brosky: “I invite all of you to go on their website and research for yourself. And don't just go on the front page, go through the whole website. It's eye-opening. They say don't judge a book by its cover — in this case, you definitely don't want to do that. Read the whole thing.” And, Bousquet declined to say what specific issues board members had with the website.

Has anyone found anything alarming on that website?

Now that they are seen as making racist decisions on behalf of the town, my hunch is a few more people will be making adjustments to their leisure time to attend their next meeting and call them on the carpet.

They imply that their is some hidden scandal on the Inclusion Declaration website if you just search into every nook and cranny.

More of a statement/question than question but that's fine.

Do I agree with you? Probably not. Seems that your statement/question makes some assumptions and your stating what the Highgate Select Boards are implying...ao you're drawing your own conclusion rather than seeking truth.

And you state that you "hope it's illegal" that they decided not to align themselves with a special interest group. I certainly don't agree with that.

I agree with what you say, however the goal is to raise everyone out of poverty.. it’s just BIPOC folk have a substantially further to be pulled

If it is proven that this was an act of discrimination, I hope that’s illegal.

🙄

When you serve on a select board and make a move like this, and give no clear basis, yes, that does imply things. You serve and represent the town residents and owe them clarity, transparency, and inclusion.

Are you a mental health professional? Or are you some back woods inbred hick Highgate is known for? Sounds like the latter. Maybe if you got your dick out of your cousin and picked up a book you may learn a thing or two in what mental health really is. Just a thought.🤷‍♂️

Sounds like you really aren't that great of a person. Maybe you're the problem bub.

They honestly don't need to give a reason, and in today's political climate, it's in their best interest not to.

And you're hoping that they get in legal trouble for NOT signing a document, because if they do not, they are being discriminatory????

Sounds like you've made up your mind: if you don't buy into this declaration and champion it then you're racist and discriminatory. Accurate?

That’s fair. I do feel strongly. Yes.

That image of George Floyd’s death is etched not just in my brain but in my heart and it changed me so that I am now more of an advocate.

You acting like this is something that used to be a problem and isn't anymore is exactly why statements like this are important. No, we won't just move on because you feel personally attacked because you were lucky enough to be born white. Color blindness is not a solution to addressing systemic racism, even if it helps you feel better about the situation.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/11/19/911909187/in-u-s-cities-the-health-effects-of-past-housing-discrimination-are-plain-to-see

https://fitchburgstate.libguides.com/c.php?g=1046516&p=7616506

Here is the Highgate Selectboard Meeting schedule:

https://www.highgatevt.org/vertical/sites/%7B27DD8364-9602-460E-9A11-4C6436D74153%7D/uploads/2023_meeting_schedule_-_FINAL(6).pdf

Next Meeting Feb 2 at 6:30p

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The problem is that they already signed it and then rescinded it, right? That's where the questions come up.

If they had said something like, “although we firmly support inclusion we have concerns about (reason)” this would have been received quite differently.

Maybe the Inclusion Declaration involves legal obligation to spend money on x. If so, say so.

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I think I found the part of the website that they are distressed about, and it ain’t the Chamber of Commerce…

https://imgur.com/a/R9UFxGW

It is not a problem in the sense that there are now laws against it, society IS moving on. not only that but you can see in nearly every aspect of society policies that elevate POC over white people to the point where it is now almost a handicap in applying for positions in education and the labor force if you are white.

Painting an entire demographic as too stupid to know what is in their own minds and hearts is what statements like this do. IDC if your mad that im pushing back, no i dont feel attacked, i just think this crap is not needed and actually counterproductive to progress.

Or, they read the implementation pages and we're like nope, were not going to actually try to be more inclusive?? The implementation pages have pretty clear actions they are committed to taking or trying to take. I'm wondering if they missed those at first and were like hell no, were not going to actually get into the weeds on this topic?

I can see why you deleted this comment:

> Nah man, you can whip yourself with the flail of white guilt but i aint taking none of that BS. Nobody chooses the shell we are thrust into. I would have loved to been born a minority

You really only see things from your own perspective and judge everything else accordingly. When the FBI is currently investigating Neo-Nazis sabotaging energy infrastructure in the northwest, when they march with tiki torches chanting 'Jews will not replace us,' it certainly seems like a certain sect of society does not, in fact, want to move on, let alone acknowledge the damage that's been done and continues. You got a 200-year head start and now you want everyone to play by the same rules.

No i deleted that comment..which you left off the last part of btw, because i am trying to be a bit nicer to.. others in general and rise above my instincts to just lash out.

We all see things from our own perspective, no matter what lies you tell yourself. The power station attacks have been talked about in right wing militia groups since the mid 90's when i first ran across them. The neo nazi's have always been chanting BS like that..where have you been for the last 30 years? You are right in there are many who do want to hang on to the hate, but its a very small vocal minority of white people overall that feel that way.

No i am only 50 yo not 200 so no head start. my family has been dirt poor for like 3 generations..wrong skin color so there were no programs to boost them ahead in life. We all had to work for our shit.

but you were able to work for your shit, you were able to get loans and mortgages because the color of your skin was not a barrier. People seem to think systemic racism means white people don't have trials and tribulations in their life when what it really means is the color of their skin had no impact on those trials and tribulations.

You see a cop and you hope you won't get a speeding ticket, my black friend hopes he doesn't get killed and is terrified driving in lily white Vt. You can ignore the reality of the situation all you want, I have no illusions about changing the opinion of someone who actually wishes they were "born a minority."

Yes damn straight i wish i had been born a POC of color! When i was looking in HS at grants and loans there were page after page for POC, didnt see shit there for white folks. That left the private sector, again i would have an instant foot in the door in any place i chose to apply at cause the Co. would get tax breaks to boost me..no i had to BS my way into jobs. So no you aint gonna change my mind on that.

As for your friend, well yeah police DO have a bias and again that is being addressed everyday as time goes on, ACAB as far as im concerned tbh.

I'm perfectly good with respecting people for who they are and what they identify as. I have tolerance towards anyone as long as they aren't hurting others. I'm even tolerant of ignorant inbred cousin fucking hicks. So yeah I am a pretty good person. I don't have tolerance for racism, bigotry, honoring, or transphobia. Look inwards.

No, it looks like you're still a shitty person. Be better than that.

How about taking your own advice? Shitty people are intolerant towards people that are different from them and cl justify it by calling it "mental illness". I feel bad for anyone in your family that comes out gay or trans. Smh

Okay, keep defending intolerance...

Pot calling the kettle. Gas lighting now?

It's Highgate. Most of Franklin county is hella racist and run by 4 or 5 families who have been there forever and are absurdly opposed to any sort of change because it takes away what little power they do have.

Nope.