Letters for July 5, 2018

Russian interference: Not a conspiracy theory!

The Republican fundamentalists, evangelicals, conservatives or whatever you call them are on the march, attacking the courts, the media, the intelligence services, and anyone who questions the wisdom, words or actions of Pres. Donald Trump.

They spin insane conspiracy theories that better belong in the National Enquirer than the halls of Congress.

They accept Donald’s lies and exaggerations over the certainty of the entire American security apparatus that Russia interfered in our elections to help Trump. That’s how brainwashed the Republican base has become.

Get used to it: Mitch McConnell and his brood of GOP senators have gamed the Supreme Court process to guarantee that Republicans will dominate the American and political processes for decades to come. The fascists are on the move and all Americans can say is duh!

Ron Lowe

Nevada City

via sactoletters@newsreview.com

Please try to understand your biases

Re “Why is Sacramento failing its black students?” by Kris Hooks (Feature, June 21):

I am a Black mother of five children of which three are males and all now adults. I am also an early care and education professional/expert. My friend Dr. Wood and his colleagues developed this research report.

Please know we as Black moms and dads love our children dearly as all parents. We know children/students arrive to school from diverse backgrounds and unique lived experiences and are deserving of an equitable education. We have teachers and administrators that do not reflect the demographics the children served in our educational settings and institutions, therefore students are left at the scrutiny of those who hold different worldviews. Moreover, Black preschool children, primarily Black boys, are being suspended and expelled at high rates.

I was recently appointed to the California State Advisory Council on Early Care and Education to co-chair a task force to deal with this unthinkable issue. For those who believe Black parents are abdicating their responsibilities, and choose to make widespread generalizations about this notion, I challenge you to rethink your unfounded beliefs and perception and not lump us all into one monolithic group.

“Preschool to prison” and “school-to-prison” are real phenomena. Unfortunately, the same microaggression and marginalization in our society rears its ugly head in the form of implicit/unconscious bias.

I welcome all of us to take a deep dive and examine our own critical consciousness and deep-seeded biases and prejudices, since we all have them. We must also explore the power we have to act on these biases and prejudices so we continue to strive for a collective of one who cherishes one another and hold one another in high esteem.

Dr. LaWanda Wesley

Sacramento

via newsreview.com

#MeToo

Re “Your rapist won’t be prosecuted” by Raheem F. Hosseini (Feature, June 28):

I was raped in Sacramento in July of 2011, and I reported it. To this day, the perpetrator has not been arrested or charged with that crime.

Holly Irene Cardoza

Petaluma

via sactoletters.newsreview.com