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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 23, 2020)
Wednesday, September 23, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 9 Commentary... Every person in our family is worth saving By Katy Yoder Columnist after they realized who he was and what he was saying on podcasts to his followers. Eventually, he transformed himself, by opening his mind and heart to the fact that white supremacy was illogical and immoral. In his youth, Black used his intellect to expand the infiltration of white suprem- acy into mainstream poli- tics. After his epiphany, he felt a moral obligation to undo the damage he9d done. I respect him for his cour- age and resolve to admit his mistakes and recognize his family9s role in indoctrinat- ing him into a philosophy that is heartless and just plain ridiculous. The philosophy he was taught and then followed is why people are protest- ing. It9s why some people are rioting. When people reach their breaking point, it9s not pretty, it9s not com- fortable and it9s not easy to watch. What we see on the news, and many biased social media outlets, is often simplistic and one-sided. An image of BLM protest- ers standing by broken win- dows seemed to tell a story. But later, footage showed white supremacists walk- ing down that street before the BLM folks arrived and smashing windows to make it look like BLM protesters were at fault. During trying times, the truth is complicated and the receiving end of ongo- ing injustices, it9s a matter of life or death. I love my country. But I don9t love some of its past and present policies that protect unjust behavior. It9s time we began embodying the words of visionary Frederick Douglass who said, <It is easier to build strong chil- dren than to repair broken men,= and the wisdom of Indigenous elder Black Elk, <Any man who is attached to things of this world is one who lives in ignorance and is being consumed by the snakes of his own passions.= Loving each other regardless of our exterior and respecting the planet and environment that sus- tains us is a matter of life and death for future gen- erations. Every person in our family is worth saving, and it9s up to us to make it happen. Excellence With Compassion When You Need It Most SERVING ALL OF SISTERS COUNTRY FOR ESTATE PLANNING NEEDS! TWO SPRUCE LAW, P.C. Patricia Nelson & John Myers — Attorneys At Law — 220 S. Pine St., Suite 207 541-549-2221 www.twosprucelaw.com STOMP OUT THE FLU CLOSURES: Highways 22 and 126 may be closed into winter Continued from page 1 to remain closed for a con- siderable period 4 perhaps into winter 4 due to the dan- ger of falling trees and rock. OregonLive reported last week that hundreds of thou- sands of trees will have to be removed along those routes. ODOT spokesman Peter Murphy told The Nugget on Monday that the agency is discussing whether Highway 242 will be reopened to the portion of Highway 126 unaffected by the fire, so that motorists can drive the loop through the scenic mountain area during fall. Murphy said that that call will be made in collaboration with the Forest Service and with ODOT officials on the west side (watch for updates at www. nuggetnews.com). often not what9s visible on the surface. It9s up to us to dig deeper and investigate, and not believe what we read or see until we9ve taken the time to verify the facts. I9ve been guilty of read- ing something, believing it, getting mad and passing it along. That hasn9t been the best course of action. Now, I take time to research, fact- check and move a little slower to ensure I9m sharing accurate information that is enlightening and I hope, thought-provoking. I9m also struck by how folks are accusing each other of being unpatriotic when they question our government, our traditions, and our past. I always come back to the analogy of our country as a family. We have a sometimes proud and sometimes hurtful past. Our present was marinated in 400 years of racism. That is a fact. It9s hard to stomach for some, but for those on with Navigating life during a pandemic and social unrest is challenging but full of opportunities. Tumultuous times demand new think- ing that breaks free from unjust institutions. Some traditions intentionally or inadvertently maintain old systems designed to divide and degrade segments of the population. As a white woman who has had a blessed life, I now see the many ways that system stepped on the backs of marginalized populations to maintain my comfort. From our country9s beginning, colonists lived on lands taken from Indigenous people. Across the nation, petroglyphs and pictographs reveal lives, hearts, and hands of the first ones to call this place home. I have learned after hearing words of wisdom from an Indigenous man, Wilson Wewa, that when I found arrowheads made by his ancestors and took them home, I was erasing their history. Listening to past and present stories of Indigenous people, I see the land differ- ently. It was taken from one group and given to another 4 all part of a concerted effort to take control of land and make it part of the expanding territories of the United States government. These actions came down to economics and the myth of superiority based on religion and skin color. I9m reading a book, <Caste= which offers a new perspective on how our gov- ernment was formed and why. People were divided by skin color. Those with the darkest pigment, and brought against their will, were at the bottom of the caste system. They9re still in that position. Some have made their way through thick barriers erected to stop their upward mobility. Their success is a feat worth admiring. But many are still imprisoned in a system established long ago to keep them from escaping the fate of their skin color. I9m shedding the lessons I received in school, from family, books, television, and movie screens. Just as I9m seeing my home as a place built on stolen lands, I9m also accepting that I unknowingly played a part in perpetuating an unjust system. Last year, I read Eli Saslow9s book about Derek Black called <Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist.= It tells the story of Black9s childhood in white suprem- acy culture. Black was responsible for retooling the language and messaging used to further his organi- zation9s white supremacy views. When he went to college, he met his first Jewish person, first person of color and first progres- sive-minded woman. Those people took him in, even CUSTOM FENCES, DECKS & PAVERS and the Sisters & Black Butte Ranch fire departments! We’re going on the road to make it even easier for you! COMMUNITY FLU SHOT CLINICS Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire & Rescue 541-588-2062 CCB#288388 L Locally o c a l l y O Owned, wn ne d C Craftsman r a f t s m a n B Built uii l t Residential & Commercial Custom Ranch & Domestic Privacy Fencing Decks • Pavers • Gates | Stain & Paint • Repair p FREE ESTIMATES & COMPETITIVE PRICING www.SistersFenceCompany.com Thursday, Oct. 1 • 10 a.m. to noon, 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6 • 2:30 to 6 p.m. Black Butte Ranch Fire & Rescue Tuesday, Oct. 6 • 7:30 to 11 a.m. All you need is your ID and insurance card. 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