what I forgot...
I submitted this Letter to the Editor to the Bates student during my first year of college. I didn't give it a second thought until I was rummaging my filing cabinet the other day. This is the probably one of the best pieces of writing I did that year; but it also speaks best to why I organize and what compels me to continue in this line of work.
January 28, 2003
To The Editor of the Bates Student:
On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a press conference was held outside City Hall to call for the Mayor’s accountability for his letter to the Somali community, and subsequent vacation in Florida during the time when hate groups converged to Lewiston. A small, but certainly not discouraged, group of people huddled underneath the steps of City Hall, while a few speakers called for “solutions instead of scapegoating.” The purpose of the protestors was to call for concrete, realistic solutions to the economic and development problems here in Lewiston, rather than using race to blame the issue on a new group of Lewiston residents.
A question asked by the media to the protestors was: “Where are you from?” Several responses revealed that many of the people in attendance were not from Lewiston, but from the surrounding region. An outraged passerby from Lewiston, in support of the Mayor, emphasized that the protestors had no business meddling in community affairs, since they were not from Lewiston. It is in response to this sentiment that I am writing right now.
As a Bates student, I face many questions regarding whether or not Bates could be considered “a part of the Lewiston community.” Walking from Bates campus to Lisbon Street is like walking from one world to another. And as an American of Asian descent, my visible features automatically mark me as someone who definitely “doesn’t belong” in Lewiston. But, how long do I have to live here to become a part of the community? How many hours do I need to be involved in the community in order to feel like I “belong”?
This isn’t the first time that I questioned how I “fit in” with the Lewiston community. This past election, a few students expressed a sentiment that Bates students shouldn’t be registered to vote in Maine. They believed that since we’re only at Bates four years, we don’t have the same stake in the state and local government that Maine residents have. Although I understood their point, I saw myself as an active part of the Lewiston community. In November, not only did I spend weeks canvassing in the community, but also helped to register voters in Lewiston. Since the Election, I tutor at Longley Elementary School, help with the Many and One Rally, and volunteer with Maine People’s Alliance.
When the angry Lewiston resident came to the microphone to tell our group that it wasn’t our business to be here, my thoughts wandered back to Dr. King and his memory and why I decided to show up to the press conference. We cannot afford to sit back and let things run their course because we don’t feel it’s our responsibility to interfere. If we allow ourselves to say, “It’s none of our business,” we allow injustice to ensue. As Dr. King once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” He was criticized as being an “outside agitator” during protests in Birmingham to end segregation.
How can outside communities sit back and allow fellow community members be robbed of dignity and blamed for economic problems based on the color of their skin? How can we be turned around today and told that this is a Lewiston-only affair, after the January 11th Peace Rally that drew people all over the state of Maine? The rally, more than anything, proved that people from different communities could come together in celebration of diversity, support for those who have been discriminated.
Although we came from different communities, the Lewiston resident didn’t consider that we all had our reasons for attending the press conference today. My reasons for attending the press conference were to show support for racial diversity and to call for action that needs to be taken by the City to solve the economic and social problems that stigmatize low-income people, regardless of race. Growing up poor and raised by a single mother, I find myself relating to the struggle that many downtown residents in Lewiston face-moreso than relating to Bates students. Just because I’m seen as an “outsider” or a “Batesie” doesn’t mean that I don’t understand the issues many working class families face. While I’m fortunate to have the opportunities that Bates offers, I can’t forget the living conditions in which I was raised, and ignore those who are still living in them today.
Jenna Vendil ‘06
January 28, 2003
To The Editor of the Bates Student:
On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a press conference was held outside City Hall to call for the Mayor’s accountability for his letter to the Somali community, and subsequent vacation in Florida during the time when hate groups converged to Lewiston. A small, but certainly not discouraged, group of people huddled underneath the steps of City Hall, while a few speakers called for “solutions instead of scapegoating.” The purpose of the protestors was to call for concrete, realistic solutions to the economic and development problems here in Lewiston, rather than using race to blame the issue on a new group of Lewiston residents.
A question asked by the media to the protestors was: “Where are you from?” Several responses revealed that many of the people in attendance were not from Lewiston, but from the surrounding region. An outraged passerby from Lewiston, in support of the Mayor, emphasized that the protestors had no business meddling in community affairs, since they were not from Lewiston. It is in response to this sentiment that I am writing right now.
As a Bates student, I face many questions regarding whether or not Bates could be considered “a part of the Lewiston community.” Walking from Bates campus to Lisbon Street is like walking from one world to another. And as an American of Asian descent, my visible features automatically mark me as someone who definitely “doesn’t belong” in Lewiston. But, how long do I have to live here to become a part of the community? How many hours do I need to be involved in the community in order to feel like I “belong”?
This isn’t the first time that I questioned how I “fit in” with the Lewiston community. This past election, a few students expressed a sentiment that Bates students shouldn’t be registered to vote in Maine. They believed that since we’re only at Bates four years, we don’t have the same stake in the state and local government that Maine residents have. Although I understood their point, I saw myself as an active part of the Lewiston community. In November, not only did I spend weeks canvassing in the community, but also helped to register voters in Lewiston. Since the Election, I tutor at Longley Elementary School, help with the Many and One Rally, and volunteer with Maine People’s Alliance.
When the angry Lewiston resident came to the microphone to tell our group that it wasn’t our business to be here, my thoughts wandered back to Dr. King and his memory and why I decided to show up to the press conference. We cannot afford to sit back and let things run their course because we don’t feel it’s our responsibility to interfere. If we allow ourselves to say, “It’s none of our business,” we allow injustice to ensue. As Dr. King once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” He was criticized as being an “outside agitator” during protests in Birmingham to end segregation.
How can outside communities sit back and allow fellow community members be robbed of dignity and blamed for economic problems based on the color of their skin? How can we be turned around today and told that this is a Lewiston-only affair, after the January 11th Peace Rally that drew people all over the state of Maine? The rally, more than anything, proved that people from different communities could come together in celebration of diversity, support for those who have been discriminated.
Although we came from different communities, the Lewiston resident didn’t consider that we all had our reasons for attending the press conference today. My reasons for attending the press conference were to show support for racial diversity and to call for action that needs to be taken by the City to solve the economic and social problems that stigmatize low-income people, regardless of race. Growing up poor and raised by a single mother, I find myself relating to the struggle that many downtown residents in Lewiston face-moreso than relating to Bates students. Just because I’m seen as an “outsider” or a “Batesie” doesn’t mean that I don’t understand the issues many working class families face. While I’m fortunate to have the opportunities that Bates offers, I can’t forget the living conditions in which I was raised, and ignore those who are still living in them today.
Jenna Vendil ‘06