The article “On a farm in Cape Elizabeth, two families have cultivated a joint history” (Maine Sunday Telegram, June 26 ) presents a case study in the perpetuation of intergenerational and racial inequities.
The story of the relationships between the white landowner Maxwell family and the Black, Indigenous or people of color laborers like the Rodriguez family is one of mutual respect and admiration. Living conditions and educational opportunities have improved for the Rodriguez family. And, the Maxwell family compensations, over time, have not yet begun to address the structural inequities that are the basis for the relationship between the two families.
What if, three generations ago, Ken Maxwell had instituted some form of labor-for-land exchange, that would have enabled Ismael Rodriguez to attain a degree of ownership in the land that he and his children were working? What if Bill and Lois Branford were to do such a thing today? Three generations from now, will the narrative still be about how the relationship between the two families has endured, including the power differential?
Martha Sutro
Cape Elizabeth
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