4A |
WEDNESDAY EDITION
| MARCH 3, 2021
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
| 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
The First Amendment
C
ongress shall make no law respect-
ing an establishment of religion or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the
press, or the right of the people peaceably
to assemble, and to petition the Govern-
ment for a redress of grievances.
“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800)
Local sports — a return to a special kind of normal
After spending my
first 17 years in journal-
ism as a sports report-
er and editor here at
Siuslaw News, it’s hard
to describe the joy of
listening to cleats in
the grass last week as
athletics programs offi-
cially got underway for
what will be a six-week
fall sports season that
began Monday.
Like everyone else —
from athletic directors
and coaches to players
and parents — we have
been keeping up with
the latest changes in
guidelines, availability
and requirements as we
all feel our way through
this sports journey in
these unusual times.
Over the past few
weeks, we’ve been telling
you about local sports
programs thanks to
our new sports report-
er Zeahna Young. The
hope has been to bring
as many folks as possible
up to speed with Siuslaw
and Mapleton athletics
programs.
regarding athletics
events.
In the meantime,
starting this Saturday,
you’ll notice our B sec-
tion taking the first step
in returning to its tradi-
tional focus on sports —
a welcome sight to see.
From the Editor’s Desk
Ned Hickson
Currently, Season Two
includes football, cross
country, soccer and, as
of last week, volleyball
for both Vikings and
Sailors.
At the same time, as
one might expect, sched-
ule changes have been
abundant as programs
here as well across the
region adjust to real-
time challenges.
As always, Siuslaw
News will continue to
keep you updated on the
latest decisions by the
state, county and schools
However, we will be
renaming our B section
as “Sports & Leisure.”
We made this decision
due to the constant-
ly evolving nature of
things, which will allow
us to “go with the flow”
while still providing
a section that is both
informative and fun to
read.
Our hope is that,
come this September,
our B section will once
again return to a “Sports
& Recreation” section,
highlighting the accom-
plishments, journeys
and achievements of our
local athletes each week.
We’re committed to
providing you with
sports coverage, partic-
ularly since — at least
for now — fans won’t be
allowed to attend as part
of the current guide-
lines.
For that reason,
we understand the
important role we play
in bringing you the
stories, images and cov-
erage you need in order
to keep up to date with
our Vikings and Sailors.
We also understand
that having the oppor-
tunity to attend those
games on your behalf is
not only a privilege but a
responsibility we have as
your local newspaper.
As the sound of cleats
in the grass begins, we’ll
be there to bring you the
stories — and celebrate
the return of something
we can all agree is a spe-
cial kind of “normal.”
LETTERS
We can’t remain
comfortable and
expect positive change
In response to Joel Marks’
Letter to the Editor stating that
“America is Not Systemically
Racist,” (Feb. 24), you better be-
lieve it is.
This country was built on
slavery and the repercussions
from that institution continue
to be felt today. Except for white
nationalists who wear their su-
premacy with pride, most white
Americans aren’t even aware of
their part in promoting a racist
system.
I wasn’t.
It was only after feeling help-
lessly distraught after yet another
Black American was killed under
questionable circumstances that
I began to look deeper. I still have
a lot to learn, but I do know the
moral imbalance in this country
can only be corrected with the
acknowledgment of our complic-
ity and participation in its cor-
rection.
To quote “White Fragility”
author Robin Diangelo, “The
racial status quo is comfortable
for white people, and we will not
move forward in race relations if
we remain comfortable.”
Perhaps when Americans are
willing to educate themselves on
the significant challenges of life
as a minority in this country, real
racial equality can become a re-
ality.
Then America can live up to
the moniker of “the land of the
free.”
—Carol Richards
Dunes City
Humanity requires
the ‘Three Cs’
I opened Webster’s New Explor-
er College Dictionary and found
a dry line about apes, walking
upright, and brain developed for
speech and abstract reasoning.
But as a “root word,” things be-
come more clear.
Humanity: 1) The quality or
state of being humane: compas-
sion. 2) The quality or state of
being human (the common hu-
manity of all peoples).
Humane: 1) Marked by com-
passion, sympathy or consider-
ation of others.
Brute strength is not what sets
us above the other animals; it is
our sole ability to contemplate
our own spirituality.
We need the three “C”s: Com-
prehension, Compassion and
Cooperation.
—S. B. Starlight
Swisshome
Contemplating our humanity,
As Black History Month comes
to an end much too quickly, I am
compelled to hold in great admi-
ration two individuals: one whose
discoveries gave us important
medical treatments and the other
for her keen insight into how a sys-
tem of thinking comes to be.
How could an individual who
has contributed to a discovery to
treat gaucoma and cortisone — the
steroid that blocks inflammation
underlying so many prevalent con-
ditions — go unrecognized?
The next time you receives a cor-
tisone injection, you have Dr. Per-
cy Julian to thank for it. Dr. Percy,
born in 1899, earned a Ph.D. in
chemistry. He investigated sub-
stances in common plants that are
now used in treatments.
His grandfather had two fingers
cut off because he dared to try to
learn to write. Dr. Julian’s own pur-
suit of education and research also
were met with roadblocks because
of his color. But he persisted and
we are so fortunate that he did.
While I have not read Octavia
Butler’s works, the words of this
Black science fiction writer who
has received a number of awards
for her writings, have alleviated a
Guest Viewpoint
By Nan Harvey
Florence
conundrum of mine that has per-
sisted over several years: trying to
understand why there has been
such a communication gap be-
tween segments of our society.
Butler’s words put it simply. She
says:
“All too often, we say what we
hear others say: we think what we
are told to think: we see what we
are permitted to see and hear.
“To see and hear an even obvi-
ous lie, with repetition and pride,
Copyright 2021 © Siuslaw News
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Thankful for enlightenment from overlooked Black Americans
(Editor’s Note: Viewpoint submis-
sions on this and other topics are al-
ways welcome as part of our goal to
encourage community discussion and
exchange of perspectives.)
USPS# 497-660
are the keys to this (problem).
“To see and to hear an obvious
lie again and again and again, to
say it because we heard it, then to
defend it because we said it and, at
last, to embrace it because we have
defended it, we become an echo
chamber unto ourselves.”
This explanation helps me to un-
derstand how a lie can be accept-
ed. We expect the truth from our
leaders and, before them, from our
parents. Further, we expect it from
what we see in print or any other
form of media.
My life has been made richer by
having been made aware of both of
these Black thinkers.
How many more hidden Black
geniuses are there, and what story
would they have to tell about the
roadblocks they had to surmount?
Is it too radical to think that such
a group of people deserve some
kind of reparation for the systemic
thinking that has held them down?
I appreciate that a month has
been set aside to enlighten the rest
of us.
WHERE TO WRITE
President Joseph Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
TTY/TDD: 202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
Email: Sen.DickAnderson@
oregonlegislature.gov
Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown
State Rep.
Boomer Wright (Dist. 9)
State Sen. Dick
Anderson (Dist. 5)
160 State Capitol 900 Court St.
900 Court St. NE
Salem, Ore. 97301-4047
Salem, OR 97301
Message Line:
503-986-1409
503-378-4582
Email: Rep.BoomerWright@
www.oregon.gov/gov
oregonlegislature.gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244 | 541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
Lane County Dist. 1
Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
Email: Jay.Bozievich@
co.lane.or.us
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753 | 541-465-6750
Florence City Council
www.merkley.senate.gov
& Mayor Joe Henry
Florence City Hall, 250
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio Highway 101, Florence, 97439
(4th Dist.)
541-997-3437
2134 Rayburn HOB
ci.florence.or.us
Washington, DC 20515
Email comments to Florence
202-225-6416
City Recorder Kelli Weese at
541-269-2609 | 541-465-6732 kelli.weese@ci.florence.or.us
www.defazio.house.gov