As the office of Professional Regulation, Elections, Archives & Records, how do you see systemic racism being addressed through this public office?
Present and future racism can be proactively addressed by committing to and implementing equal opportunities for historically discriminated against marginalized groups.
The Professional Regulation Office may see evidence of systemic racism in investigations, in which case the record should show this evidence regardless of the other factors determining the outcome.
Research in the Archives and Records division could and should be used to educate others about past offenses against, struggles, accomplishments, tragedies, and successes of marginalized groups and individuals in Vermont.
People of color care about Vermont and healthy functions in society – they should be treated as full partners.
Further commentary: First, my thought process in writing this response was consumed with the fact that socioeconomic status is often a preeminent concern – it is what matters most – if you are speaking of anti-racism but not providing paying positions to people of color, then you cannot be said to be addressing what matters most (in terms of urgency) to people of color. Can people maintain their lives with the resources that they have available to them? I specified ‘marginalized groups’, which all too often is the case for people of color but it has also always been the case for many good-hearted white people in Vermont as well (e.g. those with some Native American heritage but with white skin or those with only European heritage but whose families have always been discriminated against).
At a time when livelihood and survival are very real concerns, these people have every right to more security – that they have never, ever had. Previously marginalized white and people of color (primarily those with less means) deserve more opportunity for advancement. This is not an ‘All Lives Matter’ statement – or it is an ‘All Lives Matter’ statement from someone who believed this to be the case and would have said it before it was used by a few to discredit the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement or maybe even to make a Pro Life statement.
So I speak of opportunity as that is what I would like to create as the Secretary of State – for previously marginalized groups of lesser means. This is not to say that I support discrimination of people of greater means at all – I think a healthy environment consists of diversity – people playing strong roles as themselves.
I ended with what I think we need to all (meaning everybody) keep in mind – we want democracy, we appreciate democracy, we of every color.
(Of course I realize that I did not say anything regarding systemic racism in Elections in Vermont. I’ll have to let someone else educate me about this if they know of it because I didn’t think of any. Obviously, the candidate pool has been primarily white but that was all I would have had to say.)