To the Editor:

I am a 2015 graduate of Newtown High School and am currently working towards my doctorate in clinical psychology.

I read a recent letter to the editor denying the existence of systemic racism, citing the example of two successful Black individuals. It is naive and harmful to think that having some successful Black people in the public eye means that there is no longer systemic racism. Evidence of systemic racism is overwhelming and devastating. Racism in modern society is still very prevalent to this day, and has a dramatic impact on those oppressed, and on society as a whole. It leads to repetitive trauma and both mental and physical health concerns for its victims.

To deny the existence of systemic racism only serves to exacerbate the problems that marginalized people already struggle with. The first step to dismantling systemic racism is for white people to acknowledge its existence, acknowledge that they do have privilege in this society, and determine what steps can be taken to be part of the solution rather than perpetuating and exacerbating the pain already felt by Black members of our community. Let’s work on moving forward, rather than maintaining the unfortunate reality of the status quo.

Jessica Plouffe

9 Sturges Road, Newtown July 22, 2020