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Where We Need to Go

Kudos to all of the folks who proved to us all that change might once again come from the young.

We often hear people bemoan the state of our kids as lazy, entitled, unmotivated, selfish, etc., but on June 7—in front of the Pierson School and near the grounds of the original Morgan School—more than 300 people gathered to protest against recent abuses by police in other cities.

Yet what we thought was to be a simple peaceful protest soon turned into a heartfelt admission of a need for change from all us. Local leaders, State Representative Jesse Maclachlan (R-35), State Senator Norm Needleman (D-33), and others all spoke about where we need to go as a nation while admitting that each of us needs to take a long hard look at ourselves and those places that harbor race prejudice within.

And despite unsubstantiated and ugly rumors about possible violence and looting at Clinton Crossings, the protest did exactly what it intended to do: make us acknowledge how race, prejudice, and unfair police practices have left many outside the economic opportunities we wish for all.

And until we acknowledge that, we will all suffer in some way.

Tania Abbatello

Clinton