An Open Letter to Residents of Easthampton, MA By Rev. Talbert W.

Swan, II Dear Easthampton Residents, I write to you as a resident of the Pioneer Valley. I read with interest the many newspaper clippings from the Daily Hampshire Gazette sent to me by a concerned Easthampton resident regarding the alleged sexual harassment by City Councilor Donald Cykowski against former librarian Rebecca Plimpton. The concerned resident is a retired Chicopee fireman that now lives in elderly housing in Easthampton. The gentleman wrote to me concerning the sexual harassment matter, yet, he made a point to tell me that the residents of Easthampton were all ashamed of the recent racial slur by Donald Cykowski, which made the news internationally. I have no doubt of the sincerity of the writer and am grateful for his thoughtfulness and courage in addressing both issues. I applaud the quick and deliberate response by the residents of Easthampton and the display of outrage at the allegations of sexual harassment. There is little doubt that the public outcry and the many letters to the editor and elected officials were the catalyst for Mr. Cykowskis resignation from the Library Associations board. It is commendable that residents called for accountability and repudiated alleged acts of harassment. However, I am somewhat miffed at how a community that struck so forcefully against allegations of sexual harassment by a white woman had such a lukewarm response to the racist comments of the same man against persons of Puerto Rican descent. The outcry over Mr. Cykowskis racist act pales in comparison to the swift public retribution in response to his alleged acts of harassment. What does this say about the residents of Easthampton? Hopefully, it doesnt indicate that a city, which stands strong against sexual harassment, is tolerant of racism. It does, however, beg the question concerning why there was such a disparity in response. Committing a racist act or making a racist statement is easy you dont even have to think about it. However, keeping racism alive takes work. Unfortunately, racism is so deeply entrenched in our society that one need only hold the gates against those of us who would dare try to dislodge racism. Racism is kind of like bad habit, it works best when no one is willing to talk about it, and even better, when everyone works together to cover up the problem. Many, in response to the NAACPs call to censure Cykowski, defended him by stating things like: hes old, he didnt know

any better; youre being too sensitive; youre playing the race card; he apologized, so we should move on; the NAACP is just keeping racism alive; and, its no big deal, it was just a joke. Apparently, while some residents thought disparaging comments against the Puerto Rican community was a joke, they obviously found no humor in sexually harassing a white woman. Which is worse, openly espousing viciously racist sentiments or systematically turning a blind eye toward viciously racist sentiments from others? In my opinion, both are repugnant, however, the latter is more repugnant. When "good" people turn a blind eye, for any reason, they are far more repugnant. However, turning a blind eye to racist sentiment is, unfortunately, far more common than overt racism these days. It is unfortunate that Easthampton residents seem comfortable with a man they wanted off their Library Association board for alleged sexual harassment, remaining on their city council despite his racist views. I challenge the residents of Easthampton to display moral courage and have the gumption remove Donald Cykowski from public office. Your should neither tolerate a sexist or a racist in public life. Sincerely, Rev. Talbert W. Swan, II