LETTER: Words do matter
May 1, 2021 | By Michael Bard To the community:
Visitors to the town of Waterbury’s website may notice a new statement occupying a prominent spot on the home page. The statement is titled, a “Declaration of Inclusion” and it was adopted unanimously by the Select Board at its Jan. 18 meeting. I introduced the resolution for the board to consider and was proud that the board took this step as I have had a lifetime of public service supporting diversity, inclusion, and equal rights for all Americans.
As part of the discussion to pass the declaration, there was discussion of the character of one of the select board members and their past actions on the board. Some town residents had previously requested his removal. During a discussion of the past history of this individual, I used the phrase “lynch mob” as there was an excessive effort and de facto bullying to remove this individual from the board. I used the term to emphasize that I was not in favor of the excessive “piling on” against the select board member. In hindsight I regret using the term due to the past violent racial connotations the term has. As the proper thing to do at the following board meeting, I publicly apologized for using the term as it was not intended to evoke racist imagery.
Every individual can make missteps in their public speech. I ask that everyone not judge an individual for a misspoken word but for their background and beliefs that they stand for. We are all fallible individuals. Everyone can make a mistake. We are all bigger by what we stand for and are not ashamed to apologize for a mistake. Words are just words, it is their good or bad intent of what we all need to be judged by.
I have a history of standing up for migrant farm workers. I served as a Special Emphasis Manager as Native American Coordinator working with the Abenaki people. As a manager with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, I had a history of working for inclusion and diversity with both our workforce and the people we served. Inclusion is not just a saying but a way of life for me. Please judge individuals based upon their character and history not just a word.
Remember words do matter, but actions speak louder than words. Be kind to your neighbors. We are all one community that will succeed when we are inclusive not divided.
Respectfully,
Michael Bard
Waterbury Select Board member