To the Editor:

September 2nd will mark the 75th anniversary of the official and final end to the global conflagration that was the Second World War. On this occasion, we should all take time to pay homage to those Americans both living and dead who sacrificed so much to ensure an Allied, rather than an Axis victory. It has been recounted by them the feeling that their efforts “changed the twentieth century from darkness to light.” And this is no understatement.

Americans should also be proud of this nation’s role in structuring the peace. Unlike the spirit of revenge that gripped and guided the European victors of the First World War to craft a “peace” that only ensured another world war in its wake, our diplomats were instrumental in securing a peace that respected the vanquished peoples, and for the most part retained their culture and institutions for pragmatic, if not wholly altruistic reasons.

On this anniversary we should also take some time to reflect upon the domestic impact of WW II on the conscience of the dominant political and economic class in this country. During the war, African Americans fought both the Axis powers abroad, and entrenched racism at home. As Americans watched and vilified the Axis powers for their atrocities against minorities in their own realms, it was inevitable that they would have to take a more introspective look at their own caste system. After the war, many Americans both Black and white worked together to seize the moment as an opening for meaningful reform. Many do not realize that their efforts laid the foundation for the Civil Rights Movement of the following decades.

This is truly a great country. And while our caste system still remains, in time when cooler heads prevail, reactionary elements will be dispelled by remembering our founding ideals and greatest accomplishments, and being honest, introspective, and pragmatic in our approach.

Randi Allen Kiely

70 Mount Pleasant Road, Newtown August 26, 2020