Letter to the Editor: Value Differences – Don’t Fear Them

Pink streaks in her natural white hair are nearly as bright as the safety vest she wears while riding on a tandem recumbent tricycle. She hopes riding will help her friend – an acclaimed cycling author – to recover from a major stroke. 

Passing drivers see lights and flags for safety on the back of their slow trike. A Black Lives Matter flag next to their American flag represents the “belief that the promise of liberty and justice for all can yet be realized in America.” They also raise money for friends in Africa to provide soap and water for their community during these COVID-19 times.

Recently, when biking near her Southern Door cottage – “a happy place for me, my children and grandchildren for 70 years” – a young man in a pickup truck screamed out his window, “You are a bunch of dumb %$&*@#!!” 

When they stopped to enjoy a bay view, a young woman hiker called them delusional and said BLM is a Marxist organization trying to take over America. Curious, my friend researched BLM upon returning home. Some BLM people are Marxist, but “it’s not an organization. It’s a movement that involves people with many different beliefs, most of whom, myself included, are not Marxist.” 

Heading home, another young man in a pickup truck sped toward them and crossed into their lane to spit generously on them. Concerned, they took a COVID test. They didn’t press charges but certainly could have. She’s a highly respected retired Wisconsin judge.

When will we work together for the health and safety of every person, our representative democracy and our critical resources? When will we respect each other and value – not fear – differences?  

A friend gave me a book worth reading. To understand the depth of BLM issues, Caste, by Isabel-Wilkerson, is an insightful history examining what lies under the surface of ordinary lives in America today.

My college roommate said they intend to keep flying their flags, and they’ve now had a taste of what people of color live with every day. 

Carole Vande Walle

Fish Creek, Wisconsin