Since the horrific hate rally in Charlottesville, I have been looking to our great leaders, writers, and moralists for words, and landed, appropriately, at Elie Wiesel: “We must choose between the violence of adults and the smiles of children, between the ugliness of hate and the will to oppose it. Between inflicting suffering and humiliation on our fellow man and offering him the solidarity and hope he deserves. Or not. I know—I speak from experience—that even in darkness, it is possible to create light and encourage compassion. There it is: I still believe in man in spite of man.”
Though I write for myself, I know that other members of Arm in Arm, the group formed after the infamous disfiguring of the Bromfield rock with a swastika and more last Thanksgiving, join me in inviting others in the community to assist in our efforts to promote inclusion for all people in our community. One needn’t be a committee member or give a lot of time to help: We can always use pinch hitters for our activities and events, and they are various enough to require all kinds of skills and talents.
This year we have hosted talks featuring two prominent authors, Charles B. Dew and Gish Jen; a town read—we have one more discussion coming up; a diversity “float” in the Fourth of July parade; a talk by Police Chief Denmark; an Active Bystander Training; a summer movie series; a welcome wagon; and more. We are working on plans for fall, winter, and the new year. We greatly appreciate the support and interest from our school system and our community. We have enjoyed meeting some of you this year and would love more participation and fresh ideas as we go forward.
Please get in touch if you’d like to get involved. You can reach me through Nextdoor (where I am listed under my married name, Yanikoski).
Linda H. Davis
Lancaster County Road
