Chittenden County, Vermont The Juxtaposition, 12 Oct 2022

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From YouTube: The Juxtaposition: Vermont, the First State to Abolish Slavery-ish

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From the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance:

Amending the Vermont Constitution is an incredibly long and arduous process. The road to prohibit slavery through this process has been exponentially longer. First, why is Vermont prohibiting slavery if it was already abolished? Second, what was the process that led us here? Finally, what will the impact of prohibiting slavery be in Vermont in moving forward?

Homework: Read Article 1 of the Vermont Constitution (30 seconds)

The Vermont Racial Justice Alliance remains committed to prohibiting slavery and indentured servitude in all forms in Vermont. The existing slavery exception clauses in Vermont constitution are NOT symbolic but carry the same weight as any other language in our constitution and therefore MUST be amended with prohibition language. We're grateful that the constitutional amendment process in Vermont (one of the most comprehensive in the nation) has afforded this State the due diligence required for such an important matter. Never having been a State (or nation) where slavery hasn't existed leaves us uncertain of the impact that this constitutional amendment will have over time, but we know that it is morally right to constitutioinally prohibit slavery. We do know that this reprehensible crime against humanity has left us with the insidious monster of systemic racism and we remain committed to eradicating it on all fronts. This constitutional amendment is a part of that process and will serve as a memorial in perpetuity.

10/12/2022

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A

Take my people with me: together, we are going to a brand new home far across the river. Can you hear Freedom come.

A

On keep on keeping on I can feel it. In my.

B

Room good evening, it's Reverend Mark Hughes from the Vermont racial Justice, Alliance and you've called me again. It's juxtaposition so we're here tonight and boy we've got a program for you on and just all kinds of stuff going on.

B

uh There is uh so much to tell you, but before I do anything I just want to take you away just really quickly, uh just to an image that we have queued up for you right here, take a look at that for about five seconds and tell me what you think uh what we're looking at is a ballot and it's actually proposal. Two. Yes I know you haven't heard a lot about proposal, 2., why? Why haven't you heard so much about proposal? Two? Well, you know. The truth is.

B

Is that um it's hard to have a conversation about something that doesn't exist? Well, that's the juxtaposition right. This is like oh yeah. Well, we wanna we're. This is Vermont and we're the first state to abolish slavery and, oh by the way uh we have a ballot initiative. That says we want to prohibit slavery and indentured servitude in all forms. How do those two things go together? How could it be that?

B

What we're looking at here is a a constitutional amendment that we're we're we're trying to amend the Constitution while at the same time it doesn't really seem hardly necessary to most folks, because after all, we are the first state to abolish slavery. So yeah there's a there's a lot to talk about, but before I go there I got I got one more thing for you to look at real quick. If we just take take a look at this, because this is the Constitution, this is the constitution in.

B

In fact, this is the first article of the Constitution, which means in our schools. If we were to read our constitution to our children in our schools, it would take our teachers 30 seconds to get to this part of the Constitution, and what it says is that all persons are born equally free and independent and have certain natural inherent and unalienable rights amongst which are enjoying and defending life and Liberty acquiring possessing and protecting property and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.

B

Therefore, no person born in this country or brought from oversea ought to be holding by law to serve any person or as a servant, slave or Apprentice after arriving to the age of 21 years, unless Bound by the person's own consent after arriving to such age or Bound by law for the payment of debts, damages fines or the like.

B

huh So we've got something to kind of solve here: don't we because on one hand, what we have is we have a constitution that clearly is telling us that slavery has not been abolished.

B

So unless we want to rely on cognitive dissonance and hold on to stories that we've been told in the past or read, the document read the document where it clearly States slavery is abolished. So um there's um there's a lot to settle here, but before we go too much further I think it's really cool to have a conversation about process. My mother told me that process is the last thing you talk about before religion.

B

So, let's talk a little bit about process because before we get too far down this road I think it's very important for us to understand how we got to the place where we are. What does it mean to amend the Constitution in the state of Vermont?

B

How does that process actually work in the state of Vermont? Well, I'm glad you asked here's part of that process. First, it can only happen every four years. It can only happen every four years so in the state of Vermont, which is the most difficult state in the United States. Probably arguably one of the most difficult States in which we have here to amend the Constitution it we can only do it every four years. In addition to that in those four years, it must pass the Senate with the two-thirds vote.

B

It is non-amendable after it leaves the first committee, it must pass the house and then in the second biennium we have two-year terms in our legislature. It must then pass the Senate again and the house, oh by the way. It must also have two public hearings. It must have a public hearing each time that it arrives in the house, so we have an incredibly complex process whereby which this um ballot would actually, you know, reflect a constitutional amendment.

B

Now we know that there are two Constitutional Amendments on this ballot, largely what we've heard, though, is is just of the the one that is uh pr5, but nobody's really talking about PR2 nobody's really talking about PR2 uh here at this station, um when I first heard that they were going to uh forego this segment for tonight, I pushed and escalated uh to be able to get back to you, because this is only my.

B

This is my last opportunity to take some time and to explain to viewers what PR2 is about, because nobody else seems to want to be able to do that. It doesn't seem as though the political will or the intestinal fortitude is there that have an honest conversation about PR2 you'll, probably see a forum uh for pr5 here on this network as well and yeah I, don't mind seeing it. I just got finished fussing at these folks here, because it doesn't seem as though they have arranged a form for PR2.

B

So we'll see how that works out, they told me I'm more than welcome to to pursue that, but no we'll, let them do it and if they do it or not, then we'll see but yeah I'm here, I'm, pushing and and I think that we need to have it's bad enough, that we have folks on the right that are pushing back on this thing and oh by the way, this is not right or left it's not blue or red. This is right or wrong.

B

This is this is about a constitutional amendment that prohibits slavery, so everybody should be involved in this conversation, and we shouldn't have liberal progressives lacking the intestinal fortitude to even strike up a conversation about it. There, that's for you, okay, so as we go on I just wanted to let you know. Secondly, um this whole thing about abolishing slavery. Well, obviously, we didn't uh slavery was never abolished, so let's get it. Let's just get it out of our heads. uh There's there's a lot of things that we've learned that are just not true.

B

These two things cannot exist at the same time. That is all it's unfortunate that our parents have told us something that that that was not true. It's unpaired, it's unfortunate that some of our teachers have taught us things. That's not true, but it is. It is fundamentally impossible for us to be at a juncture right now, where a men in the Constitution to prohibit slavery and indentured servitude in all forms and, at the same time be a state that was the first state to abolish slavery. It's impossible.

B

Those two things cannot exist at the same time and I just got finished telling you with the entire process, is in order for us to get to this stage. So the reason why you don't have the information, the reason why you don't understand that this is a fact is because there are some people. Many in media many impress many in the political process. Who would prefer that you didn't, because that way we don't have to talk about it. That's why I showed up today.

B

That's why I escalated this uh on this network to say: hey folks, no, we're not canceling this program today, because this is the last time we get a chance to talk about it. Why is it important?

B

Well, there's a couple reasons why it's important, but before we go there, I got a video that I queued up for you. It's just going to take up, maybe a minute or two, a video that I queued up for you because I know. Sometimes these things are hard to process. We had a first African Landing Day event, which is just so you know this is the heart of our cultural, empowerment and initiatives with the Vermont racial Justice Alliance. This is at the heart of all of the cultural empowerment work.

B

We do because, yes, in addition to platforms and initiatives, which is policy, which is the reason why we're talking about the Constitutional Amendment, we're also doing Outreach and education and Community engagement and support, as well as cultural empowerment. So during this event, we had a keynote speaker, uh Bishop Royster, who came in uh from DC and I, want you to see some of the things he said, and this really goes to this whole idea about when we think things are crumbling around us when we think things are falling apart. I want you to be encouraged.

B

Take a look at this.

C

In this place, as we've heard, other speakers lift up today come this far by faith, learning and finding our way to renew tomorrow to a new way of being, and perhaps if we were to look back to the Book of Esther, perhaps for such a time as this, perhaps because of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor and Ahmad Aubry and Mike Brown and Trayvon Martin. Perhaps in this particular moment we might find our way to the Undiscovered Country.

C

Perhaps in this moment, if we have faith enough to believe that we can find healing and Reconciliation if we can find ways to walk together with one another and lean into this new America to become architects of a new America, not the one of the 1600s and not the one of the 1700s and not the one of the 1800s and not the one of the 1900s and not the ones of the 20s or the 21st century, but to become architects of a new America.

C

Perhaps in this moment, if we have faith enough to believe that what we see falling down around us is not falling down in a bad way, but it's collapsing. So that we can build something new.

B

So that we can build something new, something new something new, so yeah lots of work to do lots of work to do, but first we need to talk about it. Why is this so important? You know I think I think there's a there's, a huge conversation we had here you know, and- and this is where it gets fun, because you're gonna, there's gonna, be a lot of questions and there's going to be a lot of answers, but take a look at this.

B

This here's, the 13th Amendment um and the reason why I put this slide up is because the first pushback that I got when we first started. Having this conversation is ah everybody 13th Amendment in abolished slavery, probably slavery 157 years ago, or did it or did it because we see here, 78 percent of America does not know this to be a fact, and we and our partners at the Bali slavery national network. We took a look at this and we did the numbers 78 of America doesn't know.

B

They do not know that the 13th amendment has an exception. Clause put that slide back up one more time. Please, thanks in the control room, so there's an exception clause. Can you grab that slide one more time? Please there's an exception clause in the constitution in the 13th Amendment that says, except for the punishment of crime, where of the party shall have been duly convicted.

B

So what does that really mean so, first of all we're in good company, because um thanks for that slide they so the Vermont is really um not the only state that has language in their constitution that permits slavery and and I think.

B

This is how we got to have this conversation. First of all, slavery is reprehensible. It's a crime against humanity, United Nations, um it's um you know it's. It has created a mess of this nation. um Secondly, our constitution does indeed have language that does in some way permit slavery. So naturally our our natural tendency is going to want to say well we're all the slaves hold on for a minute Sparky. So again, our constitution has language today that permits slavery. Heart stop. So that is where this conversation begins.

B

That's where this conversation begins, it's not about where we see slavery. How would you know it if you saw it anyway, because we've always been a state that has permitted slavery in some form or another, and we've always been a nation that has permitted slavery in some form of another I? Refer you post, 1865 to the exception clause in the 13th Amendment. This is not splitting hairs. This is just who we are so so as we're having this conversation about slavery.

B

Here, we we have to think of it as an institution of how it exists in America and I. Think. The reason why that's important is because then we understand that pornographic levels of wealth were created with this institution as well as what was created was a a certain group of people who were the benefactors of poverty, and that is why most black people are poor.

B

Now most white people, most poor people are white, of course, but most black people are poor. So now we get into policy conversations which is kind of the reason why we started this in the first place, because we didn't start with this particular Constitutional Amendment. We didn't we didn't start in our policy work uh with this particular Constitutional Amendment.

B

What we did was we started our policy work by if you just take a look at this slide here, but by looking at you know other ways in which we can go and approach uh addressing policy uh as a resolution to uh to eradicate systemic racism from a policy perspective- and you see here not just even in um not just in the uh Statewide but also uh the uh the City of Burlington as well. Thank you for that slide.

B

So the the thing I'm getting at here is is that it's bigger than than this, because what we're connecting here is we're connecting this to systemic racism. um Next slide, please! So if you take a look at this right here, what you see on this slide that's coming up is that there are and I think we may have had a little bit of a glitch here, but we'll keep working on it we'll see. If we can get that next slide up.

B

Oh there, it is uh so we see that uh this whole definition of systemic racism we've been working in this area for quite some time and what we've been working to do is is to look for Solutions, not just not just on a policy perspective, but also, as I said earlier, in all of these other areas that we're working in, but this unjustly gave political and economic power whites in the continuing economic and other resources along um these inequities along racial lines.

B

This emotion-laden races framing created by whites, to maintain and rationalize their power and privilege. That's what's feeding into this entire conversation, that's why we can't really have it it's. This is because some people like to call it white fragility and yeah people. People have a tendency to cringe when they hear those words, but that's why we can't seem to muster the intestinal fortitude to have these conversations. That's why we can't seem to get the Press uh to to have real conversations about this.

B

Why we can't seem to get community television to really give this equal time say, for example, pr5. While we can't seem to get our politicians to be able to articulate this in a way in which it should be properly framed, because there is a fragility- and there is a natural tendency to want to recoil and and to be able to justify and rationalize and to protect, this thing is auto correcting it is self-correcting.

B

It's Auto healing this thing that we call systemic racism- that's what's going on today, so if we don't get anything else out of what it is that we're doing in this work here with this with this Constitutional Amendment, what what we ought to realize, what we ought to embrace is. We ought to step back and look at ourselves doing this work during this constitutional amendment process. This Constitutional Amendment this it it went through the exact same process as any other constitutional amendment to include the one that's also on the ballot.

B

It withstood the rigor that is required in order to qualify it to do so. So there is there's there is no constitutionally legislatively um statutorily. There is no difference in terms of what the effort and time. If, if nothing else, there was probably more effort in time put in on proposal, two beating and fighting and kicking and scratching trying to get through the noise to be able to get this in front of you.

B

So you can understand that this is about systemic racism, that the systemic racism is the Legacy, the Legacy of the institution of slavery, and if we can't get that through your head, then please just vote no and we'll do this again in four more years, but we prefer for you to embrace what it is that we're talking about here and vote Yes, but embrace the fact that the institution of slavery has done a tremendous amount of damage to us as a state and as a nation, and it continues to do a tremendous amount of of damage to us.

B

As folks. Here um take a look at this slide. We know we know that what we're looking at I don't know where we got that from, but let's keep trying I think, there's. Okay, there we go so what we know here is is that there are outcomes that are that are adversely disparate and they are consistent and Insidious across all systems of state government, as I said before, it's not in Lemony Snicket's story, we're not unlucky and we're definitely not stupid. There is a direct connection to that.

B

This is what we don't like to talk about in our schools and what's being fought over on our school boards. This is that, so that connection, it is a direct result of the legacy of slavery. Well, we didn't really have slaves in Vermont check yourself. Watch Vermont, Edition, listen to Vermont Edition on Friday, we'll be on that we'll be having a conversation about that.

B

We'll put the Brave Little State thing on the back end of that and we'll have some more conversation about that, but so, but whether Vermont benefited or not, and they did because it's not a you- cannot be a state in the United States States and not benefit from slavery first of all, but that is a that is a distraction.

B

That is a digression that is, that is a blocker to have that conversation in America today when we know that who wrote the Constitution of the United States mirrors the same folks who wrote the Constitution here, which is the minority of the people, and that was white men with land. So you you can't. You can't write something like that and then 200 years later and put things in there like um uh you know something some words to the effect of uh Freeman, uh which you don't know about, because that was also a constitutional amendment.

B

But you missed it in 1994, when you thought you were voting uh to degender the Constitution, and what we also saw from that is is that in 25 years later that the the legislature went and removed the language of Freeman from title 17, which equals chapter 42 of the Constitution, and you didn't know that either because it was under miscellaneous, and that is why language matters in our constitution, but I digress.

B

uh The point I'm, the point I'm really getting at is- is that there there is a connection to the institution of slavery and if nothing else, if nothing else, first and foremost, we should just not want the language in our constitution.

B

Moreover, I think it's more important that we just understand the connection of the institution of Slavery to this Legacy of slavery called systemic racism and I. Think that is the reason why uh this is such an important uh bit of work that we're doing here now. I think that one of the things that's important to understand is: is that and just take a look at this slide right here is: is that we're committed to prohibiting slavery?

B

uh We're we're this whole indentured servitude and all these ones that that the existing slavery exception Clauses in the Vermont uh Constitution they they are not symbolic. That is what we are trying to get across you. This is not symbolic work, that's happening here. What we're doing is is we're doing something that carries the same weight as any other language in the Constitution.

B

Again, it's the Constitution language in the Constitution matters. It is morally right to constitutionally prohibit slavery. That is the only thing we really need to talk about here, and we know that that monster that we call systemic racism. That's the reason why we're doing the work now I want to just take you briefly, as we're I think we're moving towards closing.

B

um There's there's. Definitely some other things that that I think should stand out to some of the folks who are watching this and I think some of them. Some folks are missing some of this because you're not because you're, not watching, because you're looking uh in the other direction, I think that one of the things that's super duper important in the work that we're doing is not just connectedness to systemic racism, but also connecting it to the work so I just want to.

B

You know I just want to throw that out there to let you know that, in addition to the work that we're doing, we continue to do this work surrounding cultural empowerment, which is the reason why we instituted the Richard Kim Center, which is the reason why the work continues across um the the legislative agenda that we're in preparation of there's there's a slide on the Kim Center right there. You can take a look at that real, quick, um the the work that we continue around the legend, our legislative agenda, that's upcoming.

B

We know uh that there's um a ton of work that needs to be done as we revisit uh as we revisit this whole idea of you know.

B

What does it take here in um across the state uh to be able to to work side by side uh with folks say, for example, over at DCF, where 60 uh we're black we're black black folks or black children or 60 more likely to be removed from their homes, uh tprs the termination of pet parental rights uh and as well as uh 40, more likely than whites to be adopted? So there's there's a lot of work to be to be done here. We're also.

B

We continue to work with folks who are coming across our rapid response and our query forms who are saying: hey I'm in prison, uh and um you know how I got here. You know I was you know, I'm a black child that came up out of a professor's house and um who was a professor over in in Middlebury, or perhaps it could be look I'm homeless. And what do I do there's all kinds of ways in which, from the advocacy perspective, we know that there's been a disconnect. We know that there are systems.

B

There are systems that have historically underserved our communities. Why? But not because it's a bunch of mean peoples because we got we've got some policy violence that has been happening for generations and generations, and what does that mean?

B

How it manifests itself is, is the outcomes all you got to do is look at them if we, as we look at the school, the prison, Pipeline and see who's impacted most, but at the heart of all of that we have to have a conversation about systemic racism, and if, if we are not talking about where systemic racism came from the fact that were it not for slavery, we would not be having a conversation about systemic racism and and how dare us just sit around with our mouths shut and and and us just basically being idle uh during a time where so many people have worked so hard to get this Constitutional Amendment on the ballot and- and it's so clear that within the language of this Constitution that there is it's not even a doubt and and I think you know it's worth it.

B

You know let's just go ahead and bring that language back up for the folks who are watching. But how can you sit by quietly? That's the 13th Amendment, but we need to keep it moving to the Vermont. Constitution uh uh I think we might there you go. So how can we sit by quietly? Knowing all of these things, knowing all of the hard work that's been put in, there have been people kicking and scratching, trying to get this on the ballot, and now, after all, of the work has been done.

B

Most white people who are now um the the uh the the progressive liberal are our our colleagues um are, are sitting by silently sitting by silently.

B

After all of this work has been done, and somebody tells me, oh, if you want some type of forum here at our facility, then you go ahead and put that together with them. Having already put one together for pr5, come on one of my Bozo, the Clown, so here's what we did is we we did the work, it's right in front of us. So now it's time for those of you who are out there.

B

You know now you've seen the Constitution, and you know that the language is there and you can't unknow that you can't unknow that now what you, what you've seen is and you've heard, is the process whereby which a constitutional amendment is actually accomplished, and you know that that constitutional amendment process is that of about four years. That's how long it takes to amend the Constitution here. So didn't nobody skip no skip, no beats on this thing. Nobody circumvented anything. Nobody did anything uh halfway.

B

uh This whole thing was done by the book all the way down to the the governor's constitutional duty to Proclaim PR2, to go on to this ballot, so the work is done now. It's just a matter of you reading the Constitution and it's a matter of you understanding that the process is done and understanding that this is about systemic racism. This is about the work that we continue to do.

B

This is about all of the work that has been done up until now, and as we as we leave, as we close one of the things that is important is is to look at some of that work. I. Think, instead of doing so, what I'll do is I'll come back next time and I'll tell you more about it. I want to thank everybody for coming out. Thanks for for stopping in this has been a live.

B

A live at 5, 25, I'm, Reverend, Mark, Hughes of Vermont racial Justice, Alliance, come back and see us again get to work vote Yes. If you don't connect this thing to systemic racism. Devote no and we'll talk about it in four more years have a good night.