The Swellesley  Report accepts Letters to the Editor. Letters must be of general local community interest and must be signed. See updated guidelines for Letters to the Editor here. Please send to: [email protected]

June 21, 2021

We, the undersigned, would like to express our wholehearted support for the placement of Black Lives Matter (BLM) flags in our schools. These flags affirm WPS’ commitment to racial equity and represent our community’s unwavering support for people of color.

The conflation of an alleged, spurious, anti-Semitic political agenda with matters of basic human rights and decency has led to much misinformation about the history and goals of BLM, and we wish to correct inaccuracies contained in a previous Letter to the Editor (which appeared in The Swellesley Report on June 10th ) by explaining the origins of BLM and what the movement seeks to accomplish. We further wish to address insinuations that BLM flags contribute to divisiveness; to the contrary, such flags are intended to serve as symbols of inclusion and as a visual acknowledgement of the challenges faced by people of color—challenges that have long persisted as a result of our nation’s systemic racism.

Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. BLM is a decentralized movement that comprises a broad array of people and organizations who seek to put an end to all racially motivated violence against Black people. In a change from previous Black movements (e.g., the Civil Rights movements of the 1950-60s), the three female founders of BLM (Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi) chose to emphasize the importance of local organizing over national leadership, with a network that existed to provide activists with a shared set of principles and goals. Local Black Lives Matter chapters are asked to commit to the organization’s list of guiding principles, but to operate without a central structure or hierarchy.

The loose structure of Black Lives Matter has contributed to confusion, as actions or statements from chapters or individuals are sometimes attributed to “Black Lives Matter” as a whole. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is occurring not only with those in alignment with BLM principles, but with those who wish to bring down the entire movement.

As nefarious groups seek to sow misinformation about BLM, organizations are actively working to identify and publicize this misleading and false information. In particular, the Anti-Defamation League and The Jewish Telegraph Agency have identified numerous instances of anti-Semitic activity that is purportedly linked to BLM—blatantly promoted by white supremacists in an attempt to sow division and exacerbate tensions between Black and Jewish communities. We stand firmly against anti-Semitism and believe strongly that we must not allow ourselves to fall into the trap of pitting one group against another.

The false narrative of BLM’s linkage to anti-Semitism and the implication that BLM flags incite divisiveness creates an unfortunate distraction from the true intention of hanging the BLM flag: acknowledging the undeniable history of racism in our country, which persists through numerous systems of inequity for people of color. Such acknowledgement is critical in order to continue to make progress toward racial equity—not something to avoid simply because it makes us feel uncomfortable or even possibly ashamed. The insistence upon removing BLM flags, veiled under the guise of alleged equality, will only serve to further promote a system of continued inequality—a system in which whites retain their position of privilege.

Being “of color” is immediately apparent. It is not something that can be changed or hidden. The erection of flags celebrating BLM evokes a visible symbol of our unwavering support for children of color, and our recognition of the unique challenges that they face. It is a wonderful and positive step to take to help make every child in our community feel welcomed and appreciated.

We are proud of our schools for their celebration of diversity. Our only question is: How can we help?

Joan Aandeg
Walter Blair Adams
Lisa Ahn
Patrick Ahn
Robert Alfred
Nica Alimzhanov
Gary Samuel Arthur
Susan Bailey
Sukh Bajwa
Alex Baker
Allie Baker
Charlotte Baker
Harry Baker
Marilyn Baker
Michelle Sterk Barrett
Timothy Barrett
Auli Batts
Ken Batts
Liu Baxter
Harprit Bedi
Amy Benjamin
Mark Benjamin
Charlie Berger
Kyle Bernhardt
Natalia Celli Bernhardt
Ella Bevilacqua
Brian D. Bloomfield
Carla Bloomfield
Megan Boffa
Sheila Boyle
Eileen Brackenbury
Karen Buckley
Ann Bullion
Justin Bullion
Ellen Burns
Richard L. Campbell
Kiera Carlisle
Chloe Cator
Ella Cator
Johnny Cator
Makara Cayer
Ineke Ceder
Ceida Chan
Kris Chang
Marguerite Chatelier
Chloe Cohen
Bethany Colavincenzo
John Colavincenzo
Becky Cole
Peter Shellito Condit
Deborah Condren
Mary T. Conway
Donna Corrigan
Doug Corrigan
Paul Criswell
Stephanie Croke
Meral Dabcovich
Brandi Dean
Candido Delgado
Jeanette Donahue
Suzanne Eizenberg
Elaine Eklund
Evan Eklund
Larry Elswit
Ezra Englebardt
Wendy Englebardt
Jenn Fallon
Michelle Fang
Lamia Farah
Melisa Filipos
Hans Fischmann
Jill Fischmann
Devon Fitchett
Suzanne Fletcher
Carolee Fogg
Lee de Fontaine
Michel de Fontaine
Pippa Ford
Tom Ford
Jodi Fox
Jonathan Fraga
Mark Fraga
Polly Fraga
Sophia Fraga
Barry Friedman
Yeimy Garcia
Jane Gardiner
Heather Garni
Meg Gayton
Kate Gerbode-Grant
Brooks Goddard
Jennie Gottschalk
Vanita Goyal
Gordon Green
Alden Griffith
Katie Griffith
Violet Griffith
Eunice Groark
Ann Marie Gross
Seana Gupta
Gretchen Hall
Katy Hanson
Charlotte Harrington
Emily Harrington
Jessamy Harrington
Jonathan Harrington
Lizzie Harrington
Evelyn Harrison
Julie M Herlihy
Anna Hermacinski
Amy Hernandez
Elizabeth Holden
Oliver Holden
Bianca Horner
Christina Horner
Cornell Horner
Harrison Horner
Sarah Howe
Darlene J Howland
Carrie Huang
Jennifer Hughes
Cynthia Hunt
Gregory Hurray
Jeff Jablow
Yasmine Jaffier
Kamana Jain
Prashant Jain
Rene Jarquin
Marc Johannes
Melissa Johannes
Mary Anne Johnston
Nancy Joyce
Howard Horner, Jr.
Benjamin Kahrl
Adam Katz
Nicole Katz
Kathy Kaufmann
Charlotte Kelley
Jocelyn Kelley
Jonathan Kelley
Shannon Kelly
Therese Kelly
Dan Kemp
Susan Kemp
Andrew Kemper
Mike Kim
Danielle Kizner
Yvonne Kizner
Nina Kohnen
Cole Krasner
Jason Kropp
Andrew Kuan
Pam Kubbins
Anjuli Kumar
Ram Kumar
Sam Lacey
Crystalle Lacouture
Marianne Laffitte
Michelle Lafornara
Maureen Lally
Rob Lally
Arielle Langer
Ayla Lari
Liz Larsen
Leslie Laud
David LeBlanc
Megan LeBlanc
Joanna Kaplan Lee
Michelle Lee
Erika Leonard
Nicky Leung
April Levitt
Steven Levitt
Ronald Li
James Lillie
Grace Lindquist
Margaret Lindquist
Dede Long
Erica MacInnes
Caroline Mack
Craig Mack
Grace Mack
Jacqueline Mack
Madison Mack
Melissa Mack
Laura Brown MacKinnon
Anelly Mad-toingue
Maxime Mad-toingue
Noubara Mad-toingue
Ryan Magrisi
Emma Malloy
Ethan Manelin
Samantha Manelin
Fredrick Mann
Joan Mann
Mike Manning
Molly Manning
Mbaira Maorongarti
Rhonda Long Mar
Cindy Marmer
David Marmer
Jessica Marmer
Sloan Marmer
Ansley Martin
Jennifer Martin
AJ Masiello
Elizabeth May
Jeanne Mayell
Mark Mayell
Thomas H. Mayell
Maureen McCaffrey
Christina McCormick
Moira McDade
Matthew McKay
Raina McManus
Gracie Meisner
Matt Meisner
Paul Merry
Jim Miller
Krisann Miller
Elaine Mittell
Julia Miwa
Samantha Moppett
Chris Moran
Caroline Morrison
Rob Morrison
Theresa Morrison
Carol Almeda Morrow
Parker Morse
John Muckle
Lina Musayev
Andrea Myers
Kacyn Myles
Keiya Myles
Kevin Myles
Khylon Myles
Brad Neighbors
Lisa Neighbors
Lisa Neighbors
Annie Newman
Abby Nicholson
Danielle Nixon
Julie K. Norem
Julie Cohen Norris
Lise Olney
Regina Ong
Anthony Ostler
Victoria Ostler
Danielle Owens
Grant Owens
Heather Panahi
Maya Panahi
Shahriar Panahi
Maya Pateva
Byron Pavano
Janie Penn
Ellie Perkins
Barry Person
Velita Person
Elizabeth Phelps
Avery Phillips
John Phillips
Koller Phillips
Lisa Phillips
Jodie Poresky
Josh Poresky
Nate Poresky
Phil Poresky
Dan Pozen
Gayatri Pradhan
Eliot Putnam
Jan Putnam
Carol Quan
Patti Quigley
Garima Rana
Helen Redmond
Tracy Reed
Carrie Reepmeyer
Will Reepmeyer
Brendan Reidy
Bridget Reidy
Elizabeth Reidy
Joelle Reidy
Nick Rhind
Ann Riley
Keith Robinson
Laura Robinson
Tinea Rochelle
Grace Rodrigue
Jim Rodrigue
Kathleen Rodrigue
Olivia Rodrigue
Naomi Rogers
Paul Rogers
Lucienne Ronco
Brook Rosenbaum
Marissa Rosenbaum
Susan Ryan
Brooke Salasovich
Richard Salasovich
Sam Sanchez
Alex Sarly
Julie Sarly
Lauren Scarpati
Mike Scarpati
Cynthia Scott
James Scott
Larry Scott
Liz Serotte
Heera Sharma
Saanvi Sharma
Shreya Sharma
Barbara Shellito
Jennifer Shor
Bharat Singh
Mona Singh
Mason Smith
Daniel Song
Liz Sower
Bernice Speiser
Amber Spencer
Lanaeya Spencer
Renee Spencer
Felix Stedman
Louise Stedman
Scott Stedman
Sonny Stedman
Marcia Stein-Adams
Garrick Stewart
Katie Stewart
Jaret Stickney
Fredrick Stoudemire
Jackson Stoudemire
Jalen Stoudemire
Shelley Stoudemire
Kate Stuntz
Gail Sullivan
Katie Swenson
Thomas Tadros
Clarinda Taylor
Hannah Taylor
Jasmine Theermann
David Thornton
Erin Thornton
Bharat Tripathi
Shradha Tripathi
Diana Turk
Heidi Vanni
Atul Varma
Amelia Vecchiotti
Ethan Vecchiotti
Mark Vecchiotti
Nicole Vecchiotti
Ryan Vecchiotti
Terran Vigil
Alison Wade
Kate Wallace
Judy Walsh
Sally Watts
Nicole Welburn
Susan Westmoreland
Lauren Wilwerding
Adam Yasan
Anthony Yasan
Shideh Yasan
Liane Young
Laura R. Van Zandt
Margaret Zusky
Paul Zusky

The Swellesley  Report accepts Letters to the Editor. Letters must be of general local community interest and must be signed. See guidelines for Letters to the Editor here. Please send to: [email protected]

June 10, 2021

We, the undersigned, have come together to express our disappointment and dismay over the Wellesley Public School system’s decision to forgo neutrality on political issues. Its decision to choose sides in such matters is detrimental to our community and encourages separation instead of support for one another. We believe that a united community is our best hope for our children’s future and want to express our commitment and desire for everyone to be treated equally and fairly—both by members of the community and by the community’s school system.

The town’s schools, however, disagree and have instead promoted division. For example, they have chosen to force the schools to hang up “Black Lives Matter” flags on each school’s property. The problem with this decision is not the concept behind the slogan. There is not one of us who knows anyone in Wellesley, or anyone anywhere for that matter, who disagrees that Black people’s lives matter. They absolutely do. The problem is that the flag and the slogan mirror those of the Black Lives Matter, or BLM, political organization and the associated political movement. That organization has publicly proclaimed, on its Twitter feed and elsewhere, that it avidly seeks to destroy the State of Israel and to murder millions of Jewish people in the process. It has stated that it will not stop until both goals have been achieved:  “We are a movement committed to ending settler colonialism in all forms and will continue to advocate for Palestinian liberation (always have, and always will be).  #freepalestine.” (Israel ended its presence in Gaza in 2005. So, for the last sixteen years, the Palestinian people have been self-governing there.)

According to the FBI’s Hate Crime statistics, anti-Semitism is on a rapid rise in the United States. Just recently, a myriad of hate crimes were committed against Jewish people for the sole reason that they are Jewish. BLM has helped fuel this hatred, and the recent crimes against Jews have been a direct result of BLM’s political and violent rhetoric. Physical assaults against Jewish people have been reported to authorities in, just to name a few, California, Arizona, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and Florida. The BLM flags cause a lot of fear for Jewish students, and that should not be tolerated.

Again, we do not seek to take the flags down because we do not believe in the fundamental cause of liberty for everyone. We seek to take them down because they are political in nature and are divisive. The schools have chosen to support some political causes over others. We do not agree with that, and we believe a lot of people don’t either. All students and their families should feel free to support the political causes they deem suitable for themselves. The schools should not be deciding such things for us.  Please join us in calling for the removal of the BLM flags, and of all politics, from our schools.

Jie Bai
Gwen Baker
Jim Bishop
Moshe and Geni Bleich
Dick Carls
Loretta Carranza
Bruce Franco
Neal Glick
Ishay and Lauren Grinberg
Lisa Hack
Sylvia Hahn
Stephanie Hubbard
Dianne Impallaria
Pete Jones
Harold Kaplan
Bruce and Jayne Kaufman
Jane Kettendorf
Lorelei King
Charles Kraus
Vicky Lazzell
Ofer and Niki Levi
Dick Macintosh
Linda MacIntosh
Vita Melignano
Debbie Nicoletti
Linda O’Brien
Mark and Sheryl Perechocky
Maria Popova
David Prock
Bill Rich
Peter and Marcy Rosenberg
Arthur and Marina Shektman
Andrew Silk
Lee Silk
Julie Silk
Brad Silk
Christopher Spagnuolo
Ian and Natalie Starr
Gil Stubbs
Sophie Underwood
Aliana and Alexander E. von Richthofen
Taylor Webb
Guy and Maya Yehiav

On March 2nd, Wellesley voters will be asked to vote on Question #1, which proposes to abolish Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples Day. Here are good fact-based reasons why we think you should vote NO on Question #1.

Indigenous Peoples have been rightly calling for a day of recognition and atonement. President Barack Obama answered their call in 2009 by permanently establishing national Native American Heritage Day, a civil holiday, on the Friday after Thanksgiving. With this holiday in place, we have the opportunity to visit the mistakes of the past as a community by acknowledging those mistakes and building a more comprehensive history that incorporates more voices moving forward.

Wellesley can celebrate both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day.  Columbus Day was established to celebrate Italian-American heritage and was a response to the racist lynching of 11 innocent Italian men by an angry mob in New Orleans in 1891—the largest mass lynching in U.S. history.  It was also intended to suppress rampant anti-Catholicism and the repression of Italian and Irish immigrants.

Columbus was not a murderer, enslaver, nor a proponent of harming Indigenous Peoples. There is great scholarship on this point from the late Harvard Professor Samuel Eliot Morison (Ph.D. Harvard) and Stanford Professor Emerita Carol Delaney (Ph.D. University of Chicago) to start. Tagging Columbus with a list of atrocities including “the destruction of indigenous cultures” is misguided. Columbus never set foot on the land that became the United States.

Canceling Columbus Day is anti-Italian. It cancels the celebration of a heritage because of the misrepresentation of its namesake, willfully ignoring its underlying purpose. Martin Luther King Day is celebrated by African Americans, St. Patrick’s Day by Irish Americans, Cinque de Mayo by Mexican Americans, and Lunar New Year by Chinese Americans.

Today, Columbus Day also speaks to immigration, diversity, and multiculturalism. Columbus opened the New World to immigration and to all of us being here in Wellesley today. Voting no on Question #1 will allow for a two-day celebration that will honor and respect all cultures in Wellesley.

Christopher Spagnuolo
Chair, Committee to Preserve Wellesley’s Italian American History
Paine Street, Wellesley, MA

What we have discovered during our campaign is that you don’t have to be Italian to support Columbus Day.

Many immigrants and descendants of recent immigrants identify with Columbus Day because Columbus opened the Americas to immigration and the opportunity for a new life. Early in our campaign, we received a donation from a recent immigrant to the US, a landscaper mowing lawns on Linden Street, who saw one of our signs and wrote, “Thank you for doing this!” This is how Columbus should be remembered today—as the father of American immigration.

[Read more…]

I am concerned about articles that denounce Columbus and wish to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. I have no problem with the latter but it should be a different day, preferably a day chosen by them. Most people know little about Columbus and are blaming him for things he did not do.
[Read more…]

On March 2, 2021, the people of Wellesley will be asked to approve a motion that the Select Board cease to recognize Columbus Day and re-designate the day as Indigenous People’s Day. This proposal is both misleading and historically in error as well as unnecessary.

The Columbus Day holiday is tied to Italian-Americans and Italian immigration. By the time Columbus Day became an official holiday in 1968 it was quite clear that Columbus had not “discovered” the Americas and that the Norse were here 500 years before Columbus. Moreover, in his four voyages to the Americas, Columbus never set foot on the land that was to become the US.

[Read more…]

As parents, one of our fundamental responsibilities is to help our children develop a sense of morality and to model the ideas and behaviors we value. All parents want to instill morals and principles that will last lifetimes and shape how our children interact with the world. While we do our best to take every opportunity to model good behaviors and values for our boys, we must
acknowledge that society will exert a powerful influence that we cannot entirely control. This is why a holiday like Columbus Day bothers us as parents.

[Read more…]