During the Ward Reports of the August 17, 2020 Chestertown Town Council, Ward 3 Council Person Elsworth Tolliver introduced a Resolution denouncing racism.
He requested that the Resolution be voted upon during their next meeting.
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Here’s the full text-
Whereas Chestertown Maryland is a beautiful, colonial town built, in part, by the labors of enslaved people;
Whereas Chestertown Maryland has a documented history of overt and structural racism designed to prevent African Americans from equal access to housing, education, employment, theater, dining and voting;
Whereas Chestertown residents along with people from across the county, the state and the world have risen up to assert that Black Lives Matter here and everywhere;
Whereas Chestertown Maryland aspires to be a place of equality, understanding and inclusion in the creation of a more just and equitable future for all; and
Whereas every human being deserves to live with dignity, respect and opportunity in our community.
Now, therefore, be it Resolved that the Mayor and Council of Chestertown:
1. Deeply apologizes for slavery, the slave trade and the lives, the wealth and the freedoms that were stolen from enslaved people entering our port and our town.
2. Acknowledges and honors the positive contributions of African Americans in the creation and the endurance of Chestertown, Maryland.
3. Strongly affirms that all the citizens of Chestertown Maryland have equal rights– equal access to goods and services in our businesses, equal rights to be treated fairly by law enforcement and the criminal justice system, equal rights to start and maintain businesses, and equal access to housing and employment.
4. Proclaims that racism is a Human Rights issue.
5. Commits to establishing a Human Rights Commission in Chestertown within sixty (60) days of this resolution. The Human Rights Commission will be empowered to investigate and resolve allegations of discrimination in employment, housing, by town agencies and by businesses. The commission will be comprised of at least fifty percent People of Color. The commission will issue an annual racial justice and equity report.
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Really? You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m all for denouncing racism, as there is no place for it in our society. But how can anyone ask somebody else to apologize for something that happened 150+/- years ago by another person? That’s absurd !
You are correct and I am a tax paying Black American woman, and to ask anyone in 2020 to apologize for slavery back 150 + years is not a responsible person. Stop trying to erase slavery it happen long before any of us. I am not oppressed and if each black person would think about it nor are they, please stop trying to say we are oppressed people. I think if most blacks would read about slavery, it was bad and it did happen, but let our next generation of children read and learn about our past. We can’t change it so what good is it to try and change what happen long ago. We all need to learn about loving each other no matter what color of our skin. We all bleed red. No one needs to apologize to me or any person of color for slavery. “I wasn’t there, nor were they. Pray that we can love each more.
TY Shirley. Well said. I agree with all comments above and wish we could all stop trying to erase history but learn from it. DO NOT dwell on negativity or something that happened in another time of history because none of us were a part of that history! Please don’t keep breaking down our established laws but strengthen them and live by the rule that we are all “Created Equally” and that means all of us (all races, religions, political parties, etc.)! The VIOLENCE in some of our cities Needs to END!! Instead of defunding, we should Support the Police in their effort to enforce our laws.
My hats off to both Shirley and Susan. You both note many valid points. Perhaps we are starting to make progress toward what needs to happen in our society going forward. We need to remember the past to learn from our mistakes but we don’t need to dwell on it in the future. Lets look ahead and not back and ALL try to respect each other and get along. There will always be differences of opinion but in the end we all have the same common goal. 🙂