The year 2019 is the shameful 400th anniversary of the first recorded sale of one human being to another in British North America, in what is now Virginia.

Many in America might believe that the distance from this abhorrent event in history would give us the guarantee inherent in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal.”

What some of us fail to see, as is evident in the tragic story about racist incidents at Kennebunk High School, is that racism is a learned behavior. It is the same as learning multiplication tables – except that all too often when a young person messes up and acts racist, their environment fails to correct them.

Many students, of course, understand that treating others with dignity is part of a decent life’s curriculum. Far too many others missed those lessons because they were not reinforced when that reinforcement could have made an impression.

Rosa Slack certainly deserved a more supportive administration. That said, if no one at home, or the students’ friends, or any of the many adults in their lives is teaching these students that the behavior is unacceptable, then how much can we ask of our schools? We are all to blame if we don’t call out racism when we see it raise its ugly head.

Tracy Floyd

Cape Elizabeth

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