Skaneateles Press/ May 5, 2004/Viewpoints

We have a choice to make

By Joyce Barnett

Charlie Major's article about the KKK in the Borodino Grange Building can be viewed as an allegory about intolerance and social exclusion - a very heavy topic indeed. He tells the story of how his family once suffered hate and intimidation directed toward Irish Catholics. Clearly, the scars of that experience are very deep. We feel the pain and the injustice stretch across almost a century. Charlie Major looks at the Borodino Grange building in 2004 and it speaks to him of a KKK meeting in 1924. He looks at the lights on our rolling hills and he sees burning crosses.

Many of us remember Rodney King, a black American beaten almost to death by the police during a difficult time in our history. It happened right before our eyes on television; a citizen had a video camera and bore powerful witness. It was shocking to see any fellow human being treated that way. It was personal and painful to witness such uncontrolled aggression. When Rodney King was released from the hospital, the press surrounded him, eager for his words. A tear rolled down his cheek and he said very simply, "Can't we all just get along?"

Every one of us will face hate, exclusion, disrespect and ignorance in our life. We all have that experience to some degree and we all suffer. The story of how we have treated one another across the ages is very sad. But sometimes the answer is far simpler than it appears.

There is an antidote to hate, ignorance and exclusion. It is respect and compassion. Some call it the Golden Rule and point out that it is a principle in every religion. The hard part about the Golden Rule is that we must understand that there are no exceptions, ever. "Those people," whoever they are, always deserve our respect.

We all know the answer to getting along. Most of us know it by kindergarten. It is easy to be respectful and compassionate towards those we agree with, those who are the same as us. The challenge is to show respect to "those other people." Often the challenge is giving others the benefit of the doubt, instead of seeing only one side. Sometimes, the challenge is not to be manipulated to turn against others.

Charlie speaks of an elderly lady who voted against his father because having a Catholic in office "would open the door for the Pope to move to Skaneateles." Intolerance, anger and fear have long been used as a weapon to gain or keep power. My family has Irish Catholic roots as well, but in my generation that has not been the issue. As a woman, as a minority party member, as a relative newcomer to the area who dared to run for office against a group of men who have been unopposed for a long time, I also feel the manipulation of intolerance and hate turned against me. The Pope isn't threatening to move to Spafford, but I do hear the refrain, "Everything she says is a lie." I have to smile because that certainly ensures that those easily manipulated won't consider the opinions or perspectives I express. Challenge another's opinions or perspectives, but please don't call them lies.

As an elected official, as a representative of the people, my job is to speak out for those who elected me. I take that very seriously - even as I strive to respect the opinions of those who didn't elect me. I ran for office because there was no choice on the ballot in Spafford - no choice for most of several decades! Representative government did not exist here on the local level.

Now that someone actually ran against an incumbent and got elected, citizens are compelled to videotape town Board meetings. Rodney King unwittingly taught that lesson. Some jokingly refer to our Town meetings as "reality TV." One woman told a friend that the meetings start out boring, but to be patient because it will get "good" after a while. Jerry Springer comes to mind.

The State Police appeared at the beginning of the last Spafford town meeting and ended up staying for most of the three-hour duration. Some people made it clear that they didn't want the police there; others felt much safer. Part of the art of intimidation is that people don't feel safe. Sometimes, if people don't feel safe, they won't stand up for what they believe. Sometimes, they will turn against others and run them out of town. At our last town meeting, the views of some were oddly being blamed for one man's inability to put a new roof on his barn, for another's fear that someone had walked on his property. One misled citizen yelled out, "What are we going to do about those people?" The manipulators smiled a sly smile, until someone said, "Nothing! They have a right to their opinion, as do you. We live in a democracy."

The Borodino Grange building was standing almost 100 years before the KKK had their meeting and now another century has passed. Many of the old buildings in the hamlet of Borodino are being torn down or just crumbling away. An army of Spafford Historical Society volunteers has worked very hard to stabilize the Grange building so it won't be lost. The architects are feeling much more comfortable with its future than they did when we purchased it in the late 1990's. It is one of CNY's oldest buildings, a fine example of Federal architecture. The historical society would like to bring it to its full glory and grant funds are pending - if we can satisfy certain members of the town board who openly admit that they are angry that some historical society members (out of several hundred) ran for office. Many think that the board of the historical society will not be able to meet the demands of those town board members and I would tend to agree. I have a special perspective as both a member of the town board and a member of the historical society board. In this case, I hope my perspective is wrong. As usual, time will tell.

In the meantime, when I look at the Borodino Grange building, it is not the KKK I choose to see. Instead, I envision Frederick Douglass on the outside steps of the Borodino Grange building. He came to speak to the people of Skaneateles, Spafford and surrounding towns in April 1849. Research indicates that there is an excellent chance Douglass used the steps of the Grange building (then a church) to give a powerful address. He is one of mankind's greatest orators in the cause of tolerance, human rights and justice. I believe he would be proud that a group of citizens working to preserve that building decided to strengthen the democratic process in a town that had long been complacent.

We all have a choice in how we approach the world and how we treat one another. May we all have the wisdom to turn our backs on the fear, intimidation and narrow mindedness of the KKK and instead turn our faces to the ideals of Frederick Douglass. Both worlds are a part of our past. We determine the future. Let us remember, as we struggle with our differences and our fears, to always give respect to one another. If we strive to act with respect, we will be surprised how easy it is to work together and how alike we really are. Some things are much more simple than they appear.

"Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them...When a great truth once gets abroad in the world, no power on Earth can imprison it, or prescribe its limits, or suppress it. It is bound to go on till it becomes the thought of the world." - Frederick Douglass (1817-1895) Writer, orator, abolitionist and former slave.

Joyce Barnett is the newest member of the Spafford town board and the Chairman of the Board of the Spafford Area Historical Society. She resides in Borodino with her husband and two daughters.