BRATTLEBORO-Just like many of you, I've been wrestling with what our nation has decided is to be our future. The fear I have for my family, my friends, and people I'll never meet but will hear on the news is real. There is no ignoring it.
We know the Supreme Court has given the presidency unlimited bounds to actions without consequences.
We've seen children be separated from their parents and put in cages just because their families didn't follow an arbitrary process that originated from an explicit Chinese Exclusion Act.
We've heard of young women and girls losing their lives because the law prohibits them from receiving the most appropriate medical care.
In fact, as I write about these realities, my heart sinks heavily into my stomach, my throat clenches, and my breathing becomes labored.
In these trying times, I think of Agüeybaná ("ah-goo-way-bah-NAH"), my Indigenous ancestor who inspired the 1509 Taíno ("tah-EE-noh") revolution against the Spaniards in Borinquén (boh-reen-KEN, a.k.a. Puerto Rico). He did this by proving that the assumed immortality of these Spaniards was not real.
Agüeybaná's story is morbid, and the Taino people's a tragedy. But those who survived live among us now in our blood, in our language (e.g., hammock comes from the Taino word hamaca, pronounced "ah-MA-ka"), and in our history. And history tells us that any authority that challenges our right to exist will wither, die, and be replaced with what is truly immortal: our efforts and our impacts.
So, to remind ourselves of our immortality: During the pandemic, our NAACP chapter partnered with Vermont's administration to tackle the racial disparities. We prioritized our BIPOC families in our vaccination efforts. In fact, we were the only state in the country to do so.
When Florida banned the word "gay" in schools, our young people took to the streets. They said "gay" loud and proud, just as their forebears have done. When we saw the need for a home for refugees, local organizations added programming and/or were founded to welcome refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers into our community; many of you I know even shared your homes and meals.
As such, the Windham County chapter of the NAACP is currently making plans and taking initiative:
• We hope to work with local and state organizations to directly challenge Project 2025.
• We are working with legislators to improve relicensing and certification processes for internationally trained medical providers.
• We are incentivizing students to learn about local, regional, national, and international BIPOC heroes.
• We are working with government advisory groups, and health care and legal associations to address racial disparities and injustices.
• We hope to work with local organizers to directly support BIPOC individuals and families during these trying times.
Yes, Agüeybaná was one person. But impact and change takes a village. Don't wallow in the fear, become part of the impact:
• Become an NAACP member at windhamnaacp.org/membership to have a say in what we do and who leads our efforts.
• Donate to our chapter at windhamnaacp.org/donate to financially support what we do and how we do it.
We meet on the first Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m. For more information on how to get involved or for the Zoom invite, please email us at info@windhamnaacp.org.
NAACP, Windham County Branch
Brattleboro
Wichie Artu, president
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