> One root of the problem in Vermont is that so many people have so very little interaction with BIPOC

YES, this is REAL!

So decades old story - I went to camp with POCs, bussed in from NJ . They did their best to put an even ## of POCs with us white kids. Now, this story occurs just before 4th grade - two girls in my cabin and I had just finished swimming - they were talking about wondering if they had gotten a tan. I'm like, "y'all get tans?" - SERIOUSLY had no clue! I'm much better now, really!