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Ripe for change

Posted 7/27/16

After the deaths of Sterling and Castile, my heartache led me to believe that even the most biased places would begin to sympathize with the risks of the black life, leading to positive social …

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Ripe for change

Posted

After the deaths of Sterling and Castile, my heartache led me to believe that even the most biased places would begin to sympathize with the risks of the black life, leading to positive social change. The next day, the little hope I had dissipated. It suddenly seemed possible that someone might retaliate against me, a black man, for the killings in Dallas. This tranquil town seemed riskier and uglier to me than any slum, even though I survived life in the Bronx to come here to college. But it’s not ludicrous for me to fear a backlash since many black students here have experienced rejection, slurs, or even physical threats in this region. Yet Potsdam is ripe for change. We should be invigorated, not frightened, by the vision of this town consisting of a variety of ethnic groups. I felt empowered by Pastor Savanna Hartman’s poem on White privilege and by police, protestors, and counter-protestors sharing hugs and prayers. I know this same source of empowerment and greatness lies in the heart of Potsdam. I wonder, as we move forward from an awful summer in our history, if Potsdam will choose to be as vicious as our mascot or as placid as the Raquette.