As we write this, we don’t know the motivation of the perpetrators who defaced “the rock” at Bromfield. Were they just kids who don’t understand the implications of what they did? It doesn’t matter. We need to respond. Kudos to the Bromfield students for their immediate response in repainting and reclaiming the rock as their own, to Emma Franzeim for helping raise the funds, and to the the school staff and administration for taking this seriously.
But this is more than a school issue. It is the third case of hateful graffiti in our town this fall. Among the swastikas and other hate icons on the rock was “Trump 2016.” This raises some difficult issues that we cannot and should not ignore. What role, if any, has Trump’s campaign played in the recent pattern of bigotry? Many have already staked out their opinions on this. But when doing so, it’s important not to fall into maligning others and creating further division along the way, which is hurtful in its own right. In this moment, we need to heal and to seek the truth and speak the truth in Love together.
Part of that truth is that there are people in this town and in our country who feel targeted, are scared for their family’s safety, and now face an uncertain future. It is important that we stand by them and make it clear that the majority of Harvard stands on the side of love, not hate. No matter who you voted for, please join us at a candlelight vigil this Sunday, Dec. 4, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on the Common. Ours is just one little rock. But catastrophic landslides can start with just one rock. Let’s make sure our small town’s rock is not one of them.
David and Ginger Kendall, Colleen Pearce, and Eric Broadbent, on behalf of the Social Justice Ministries Council of the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church
