BRATTLEBORO — We would like to thank and show our support for Rhonda Anderson's words “Toy headdresses racist and offensive” [Letters, Dec. 21]; we did not want this newspaper dialogue to end on the note that it did with Sandy Golden's response, “Political correctness run amok” [Letters, Jan. 4].
We are responsible to our children and the future to promote toys and play that respect all types of folks and present historical truth, not trivialization or cultural erasure.
In response to Sandy Golden's analogy that compares children wearing Native American headdresses to dressing up in police uniforms or Viking hats, a significant difference is that these latter groups are not oppressed today.
We should promote children's creativity and imagination and include them in our endeavors to undo racism, and it is our responsibility as adults to provide appropriate guidance.
As community members and customers of Beadniks, we ask that the owners will reflect on the implications of selling toy headdresses and displaying Native-inspired items and remove them from their inventory.