Refusing to teach about racism will not solve racism. It will only let it fester | Opinion

Refusing to teach about racism doesn’t erase it

Did you see the picture of the people in Virginia protesting against Critical Race Theory in the Nov. 27 bonus Extra that comes with the Herald’s eEdition? (That bonus content is a great deal.) In the picture, a young girl held a sign that read, “I am not an oppressor.”

The irony is that by holding the sign, which was no doubt written and handed to her by an adult, she was made complicit in the systemic racism toward people of color that such adults deny. They claim teaching CRT would hurt children by making them feel guilty for participating in a system of oppression.

But denying that the system is racially biased actually contributes to keeping it unfair for the ones it discriminates against. Opposing CRT helps perpetuate race-based inequity by preventing the open-mindedness that would help foster more opportunities for the disadvantaged.

If the girl in the picture had had the chance to learn more about racial injustice in America, maybe she would have had the wherewithal to tell the adult to throw away the sign. And then she could have felt pride, not guilt.

Joe Chapman, Richland

Providence broke Kadlec’s system

I couldn’t agree more with Amy Small and her view on the profit-driven perspective of Providence. Now staff and quality patient care seem to be secondary to the almighty dollar. It’s almost an oxymoron to attach the name Kadlec, which used to value their staff, with the name Providence, whose primary goal appears to be profit over employee satisfaction.

And an ad in the paper or on the news from Providence saying how much employees are appreciated does not cut it. The executives in mahogany row need to walk in the shoes of a staff member for a day in ICU, ED or on any of the floors to truly appreciate what the staff really does. I’m willing to bet the executive wouldn’t last a full shift. As Amy said, return to the core values of what Kadlec stood for before Providence. If it ain’t broken, don’t try to fix it.

Laurie Hutton, Richland

Puddles will tell where ice will be

Where is it icy? We are experiencing a lot of rain this week, so now is a great time to track where the water goes and ice will be. You can do a lot to reduce the ice on your street. There are more sewers than sewer workers and you can help.

Got some leaves/needles blocking the gutter? Take a second and pick them up. A sharp, flat-edged shovel smooths the dead weeds. Got a clogged street drain? Maybe you can clear it. If not, take two minutes and call it in. Better that than we end up with an intersection with a massive freeze/refreeze issue, right?

Matthew T. Ruane, Richland

Snake dams will stay a long time

The lower Snake River dams will never be torn down on Congressman Dan Newhouse’s watch. (But not because of anything he does.) He wants voters of his district to think he’s protecting them from a secret plan to imminently remove the dams. But it’s not believable.

Republican Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson’s proposal to build the energy and transportation infrastructure needed to fulfill the dams’ functions before removing them involves tens of billions of dollars over many years. Its scale would rival Hanford cleanup, and even that is hard to get funded through Congress. Dam removal before building the infrastructure to replace them is also opposed by members of Congress who care about global warming.

The drama stems from a lawsuit against the Biden Administration, Washington and Oregon demanding that the dams be removed, but Newhouse frames the administration as the force behind removal. The congressman isn’t naive; he knows this has no chance.

Greg Carl, Richland

Teen depression continues to rise

Teenage depression is a silent epidemic affecting thousands, with 12 teens tragically taking their lives daily nationwide, and approximately 5,000 succumbing to depression annually. This mood disorder, characterized by persistent feelings of emptiness and hopelessness, has seen an 8.1% increase among adolescents from 2009 to 2019.

Recognizing at-risk individuals is crucial, with signs including persistent sadness, anger, fatigue and a loss of interest in once enjoyable activities. Studies establish a link between low self-esteem and mental health issues, forming a self-perpetuating cycle that can lead to self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Untreated depression has severe consequences, from suicide to mass shootings, impacting not only the affected teens but those around them.

Early intervention is vital, requiring government reforms to prioritize programs aiding depressed teens. Awareness-raising and participation in confidence-boosting programs are essential, as simple gestures can make a significant difference. Fortunately, abundant resources exist to support those in need. It is our collective responsibility to instigate change and assist adolescents battling depression.

Adrian Silverio, RN, Pasco

U.S. needs to help solve Gaza mess

With the barbaric attack of Hamas on Oct. 7, we are witnessing once again the eye-for-an-eye and a tooth-for-a-tooth cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians that has gone on for decades. Hamas brutally killed 1,200 and took as hostage 240 women and children.

In Gaza, there are the heart-wrenching videos of death and destruction. The Israeli military using heavy ordinance in densely populated Gaza has damaged or destroyed 60,000 buildings. Civilian causalities from the war in Gaza are notoriously hard to calculate, but a conservative estimate is that 10,000 women and children have died, as the New York Times reported.

With two U.S. aircraft carrier groups covering the flank of the Netanyahu government and $14 billion in aid, the U.S. has a major stake in leveraging a two-state solution. There is a path forward under UN Resolutions 242 and 338, which was also the cornerstone for the peace plan put forward by Trump in 2020.

The U.S. can continue wringing its hands and go along with the Netanyahu government, considered by many to be the worst in the nation’s history, or we can play an important role in the safety and security for Israelis and Palestinians.

Mickey Beary, Richland

Writer needs to check his sources

I suggest Don Havre, who wrote a letter on Nov. 26, check other sources.

The border is not “open.” The border patrol seizes 90% of illegal fentanyl; nearly all drug carriers are legally crossing; over 50% are U.S. citizens. There are laws that necessitate accepting asylum-seeking migrants; the ones who cross the border illegally are to be stopped by the border patrol.

Trump seems to want to hurt everyone who comes across the border, legal or not.

Biden has made it clear he is separate from the Department of Justice, which brings charges (through a citizen grand jury). Trump has already said he would use the DOJ to prosecute his political enemies.

Private citizen Hunter Biden probably used his name to enrich himself, but there is no evidence that President Biden benefited. But Ivanka and Jarod Kushner, paid government employees, did benefit with deals and trademarks. Trump benefited from over $150 million of taxpayers’ money playing golf at his own properties.

For other questions, I need specific instances to show that Democrats are promoting a dual legal system or assuming powers not in the Constitution (the Supreme Court decides that). With “parent choice programs,” what about parents of LGBTQ+ children being told how they can raise their children?

Joyce Scherpetz, Richland

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