Burying the past does not make it go away. Yes, it is hard to read and digest the actions of our ancestors, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done. Americans must embrace ALL of our heritage — the good, the bad, and the ugly — if we are to continue as a democracy. Since World War II, Germans have made a point to incorporate their ugly Nazi descendants into their history books and culture because they fear those powerful monsters will return to destroy and kill again. America needs to do the same — we will never heal until we expose our country’s oldest, deepest, and festering wound. The Barn offers an opportunity to begin a conversation towards healing our country of the racism that is tearing us apart. Wright Thompson will be at Sinclair on September 25 to discuss his research and answer questions about the book. You can register free on Sinclair’s website. Thank you to Michael Carter, Senior Advisor to the President of Sinclair, for offering our community this opportunity.
- Leigh Ann Fulford, Dayton
We all were told to be afraid of the dark. That’s why the world is polluted with artificial lighting. It’s all in the name of security — when we light up the world, we’re keeping away everything bad! Well, the only time I was robbed, it happened in broad daylight. And those auto dealerships that light up their lots like it’s Las Vegas? My friend’s car was stolen in one. A 2015 study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health highlighted just how ineffective streetlights were at preventing crime and the Chicago Alley Lighting Project found a correlation between brightly lit alleyways and an increase in crime. Outside of doing nothing to stop crime, multiple studies have artificial light at night listed as a suspected risk factor for some cancers. Conservationists have also highlighted the many ways artificial light disrupts and damages ecosystems. Light pollution is not a hard issue to solve. All it takes is four actions: 1. Turn off unnecessary lights. 2. Put away the spotlights (What’s so special about your tree that it needs to be spotlit?) 3. Get fully shielded fixtures that target light down, not up. 4. Get motion-activated lights, so you only use light when you need it. It’s less expensive!
- Elizabeth Schumacher-Berger, West Carrollton
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
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