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systemic racism

The Talk, Vermont: Further Discussion With Jewish and Palestinian Vermonters on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 09/02/2025

From Rev. Arnold Thomas:

Host Rev. Arnold Thomas meets with Wafic Faour and

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has fueled political tensions and hate crimes throughout the world including our state. We shall discuss this crisis through the various perspectives of Palestinian and Jewish Vermonters. In this continued discussion we will provide an historical context to the conflict and meet with Palestinian and Jewish Vermonters critical of the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians.

When African Americans mention “The Talk,” they refer to important conversations their parents or elders had with them concerning how to survive in a racist, hostile, environment, specifically when confronted by the police. I imagine similar conversations occur between parents and children among all People of Color and marginalized communities. However, in a nation that will soon be dominated by people of color, it is crucial that such conversations occur among White families as well concerning how to live peacefully and productively in a multiracial and multicultural country where all prosper. The Talk, Vermont is about the concerns and interests of Black Vermonters, Vermonters of Color, and other marginalized communities that can be shared with all Vermonters and those who wish to live in one of the whitest state in the nation, in the hope that we can truly learn and grow from our interactions with one other, and make Vermont a truly hospitable state in which all may learn and grow.

The Juxtaposition: STAND 08/13/2025

Rev. Mark Hughes, Executive Director of the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, hosts an episode of The Juxtaposition about issues affecting Black Folks and Black Folks effecting change.

From Mark Hughes:

We know that our work of exposing and mitigating systemic racism is at the heart of our struggle for the soul of this nation. There is nothing more important in the fight for the soul of this nation than the fight for equal protection of the law and justice. This is the essence of who we are at Vermont Racial Justice Alliance and the established purpose of the Commemoration of Vermont First African Landing Day. STAND!

First African Landing Day “STAND” is August 23rd at the Richard Kemp Center and Roosevelt Park in Burlington, from 11:00 AM till 5:00 PM.

  • Get your ticket HERE.
  • Interested in volunteering or tabling? Go HERE.
  • Want to sponsor and support? Go HERE.

For more information about Vermont Racial Justice Alliance visit: VTRacialJusticeAlliance.org

The Juxtaposition: Old Conversations 07/09/2025

Rev. Mark Hughes, Executive Director of the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, hosts an episode of The Juxtaposition about issues affecting Black Folks and Black Folks effecting change. He is joined by guest Deacon Dr. Roy V. Hill II.

From Mark Hughes:

The current administration has rolled back enforcement on civil rights in the United States to a time of “separate but equal” (1890-1910) when lynchings, and convict leasing were the order of the day. The work of exposing and mitigating systemic racism - the legacy of slavery (disparate impact) is now federally banned and designated illegal. These roll-backs on civil rights and attacks on actions addressing desperate impact are meticulously targeted at dismantling an infrastructure that was designed to move us towards a more perfect union and justice. These rollbacks and attacks rather take us back to historical patterns of maintaining racial hierarchies. That sets progress back 135 years. So, now what? What are we doing to ensure the civil rights that make the United States the United States? How do we once again realize the civil rights rooted in the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution - the ones that our ancestors gave their lives for?

For more information about Vermont Racial Justice Alliance visit: VTRacialJusticeAlliance.org

The Talk, Vermont: President Trump’s Enemy within Elimination Plan and the Vermont Response 07/01/2025

From Rev. Arnold Thomas:

Host Rev. Arnold Thomas meets with Jill Martinez Diaz, Executive Director of the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project, Big Hartman, Executive Director & General Counsel of Vermont’s Human Rights Commission, and Lia Ernst, Legal Director of the ACLU of Vermont, to share their thoughts about President Trump’s Enemy Within Elimination Plan, which includes the mass deportation of illegal immigrants and retribution toward those who defy his leadership, and how they and their organizations plan to respond in protecting the rights of all Vermonters.

When African Americans mention “The Talk,” they refer to important conversations their parents or elders had with them concerning how to survive in a racist, hostile, environment, specifically when confronted by the police. I imagine similar conversations occur between parents and children among all People of Color and marginalized communities. However, in a nation that will soon be dominated by people of color, it is crucial that such conversations occur among White families as well concerning how to live peacefully and productively in a multiracial and multicultural country where all prosper. The Talk, Vermont is about the concerns and interests of Black Vermonters, Vermonters of Color, and other marginalized communities that can be shared with all Vermonters and those who wish to live in one of the whitest state in the nation, in the hope that we can truly learn and grow from our interactions with one other, and make Vermont a truly hospitable state in which all may learn and grow.

The Juxtaposition: Drinking From a Firehose 06/11/2025

Rev. Mark Hughes hosts an episode of The Juxtaposition about issues affecting Black Folks and Black Folks effecting change. He is joined by guest Pat Autilio, Senior Data Analyst at the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance.

From Mark Hughes:

The rate at which the 150+ Executive Orders have been released by this administration have made it almost impossible to understand their consequences or collective impact. It's like drinking from a firehose. How can we know how to organize or what to prioritize in our march towards justice if we don't understand what these executive orders are doing?

VRJA Lead Data Analyst Pat Autilio has completed an analysis of all of the Executive Orders that classifies their impact by population, severity and harm and identifies the legal issues that they present? This comprehensive, detailed analysis aggregates, correlates, categorizes and prioritizes the impact of these Executive Orders.

Join us for this sobering wakeup call and hear about Raise Up Justice, a blueprint for action!  

For more information about Vermont Racial Justice Alliance visit: VTRacialJusticeAlliance.org

The Talk, Vermont: Loving Day Vermont 06/10/2025

From Rev. Arnold Thomas:

Host Rev. Arnold Thomas meets with Sarah Brown, Nicholas Glass, Ferene Paris, and Paul Yoon, all from Loving Day Vermont. Sarah Brown, Co-Founder, Loving Day Vermont; Nicholas Glass, Co-Founder, Loving Day Vermont; Ferene Paris, Loving Day Vermont Planning Committee Member; and Paul Yoon, Loving Day Vermont Volunteer.

On June 12, 1967 the Supreme Court decision in Loving v. Virginia legalized interracial marriage nationwide by striking down anti-miscegenation laws in 16 states. Loving Day has been celebrated every June 12th throughout the world since 2007 when it was officially recognized by the US House of Representatives. We will meet with the founders and members of Loving Day Vermont to discuss the joys and challenges of interracial marriages and relationships, particularly in Vermont.

For more information visit: https://lovingday.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/lovingdayvermont/

When African Americans mention “The Talk,” they refer to important conversations their parents or elders had with them concerning how to survive in a racist, hostile, environment, specifically when confronted by the police. I imagine similar conversations occur between parents and children among all People of Color and marginalized communities. However, in a nation that will soon be dominated by people of color, it is crucial that such conversations occur among White families as well concerning how to live peacefully and productively in a multiracial and multicultural country where all prosper. The Talk, Vermont is about the concerns and interests of Black Vermonters, Vermonters of Color, and other marginalized communities that can be shared with all Vermonters and those who wish to live in one of the whitest state in the nation, in the hope that we can truly learn and grow from our interactions with one other, and make Vermont a truly hospitable state in which all may learn and grow.

The Talk, Vermont: The Vermont Racial Justice Alliance 05/20/2025

From Rev. Arnold Thomas:

Host Rev. Arnold Thomas meets with Rev. Mark Hughes.

Since its inception the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, led by the Reverend Mark Hughes, has been the catalyst for enormous change affecting African Americans and other marginalized communities in the state. We shall meet with Rev. Hughes and other members of the Alliance to discuss its accomplishments and vision for the future.

When African Americans mention “The Talk,” they refer to important conversations their parents or elders had with them concerning how to survive in a racist, hostile, environment, specifically when confronted by the police. I imagine similar conversations occur between parents and children among all People of Color and marginalized communities. However, in a nation that will soon be dominated by people of color, it is crucial that such conversations occur among White families as well concerning how to live peacefully and productively in a multiracial and multicultural country where all prosper. The Talk, Vermont is about the concerns and interests of Black Vermonters, Vermonters of Color, and other marginalized communities that can be shared with all Vermonters and those who wish to live in one of the whitest state in the nation, in the hope that we can truly learn and grow from our interactions with one other, and make Vermont a truly hospitable state in which all may learn and grow.

The Juxtaposition: Protect and Defend 05/14/2025

Rev. Mark Hughes hosts an episode of The Juxtaposition about issues affecting Black Folks and Black Folks effecting change.

From Mark Hughes:

Some of the most consequential and existential policies in Black communities are those on policing. The Trump administration recently released an executive order that increases the provision of military officers and national security assets who may serve alongside state and local law enforcement officials; dispatches Homeland Security Task Forces to work in states and municipalities to prevent crime; reinforces the Trump Administration’s position that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are civil-rights violations and orders the Attorney General to prosecute state and local officials who engage in DEI practices that “endanger citizens” and more. Why is this happening and what are the implications? What if anything can we do to keep our Black communities safe from over-policing and harming our people and communities?  

For more information about Vermont Racial Justice Alliance visit: VTRacialJusticeAlliance.org

The Talk, Vermont: The Declaration of Inclusion in a Time of Division and Exclusion 05/06/2025

From Rev. Arnold Thomas:

Host Rev. Arnold Thomas meets with Norman "Norm" Cohen, former attorney, retired, and J. Alvin "Al' Wakefield, former business executive, retired.

A majority of Vermont cities and towns, comprising over 80% of the state’s population have already endorsed the Declaration of Inclusion which condemns racism and “welcomes all persons, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, or socioeconomic status.” But is this declaration simply words with intended course of action? We will meet with the framers and promoters of the Declaration of Inclusion.

The Talk, Vermont: Different Perspectives Among Jews on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 04/29/2025

From Rev. Arnold Thomas:

Host Rev. Arnold Thomas meets with Jimmy Leas and Ze'Eva Chasan to discuss different perspective among Jews on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has fueled political tensions and hate crimes throughout the world including our state. We shall discuss this crisis through the various perspectives of Jewish Vermonters. 

Ze’Eva Chasan is an anti-Zionist Jewish communist who grew up in Burlington, Vermont, across the street from Ohavi Zedek Synagogue, where her father (Abba), Joshua Chasan, served as rabbi until 2015. Raised Zionist, she broke free through exposure to Marxist, decolonial, and—most crucially—Palestinian perspectives, rejecting Zionism’s death cult and its false promises of safety. Now based in Boston, she merges her culinary skills and love of history to reclaim Jewish traditions severed by assimilation and empire, while organizing for a future beyond borders. She teaches that Zionism is not Judaism, that Israel does not speak for all Jews, and that Zionism is an existential threat to Jews everywhere, especially as it carries out genocide against Palestinians. Her work uplifts diasporic Jewish survival as sabotage against ethno-nationalism, whether in the kitchen or the streets. Find her writing at antiquefaith.wordpress.com and reach her at theantiquefaith@gmail.com.

James Marc Leas is a patent attorney in South Burlington Vermont. He is a graduate of MIT, and he completed all but the dissertation toward a PhD in physics from the University of Massachusetts. He was an engineer at IBM, and read for the Vermont bar while working in IBM’s patent law department. He is a member of the Vermont Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the National Lawyers Guild. James is a past co-chair of the National Lawyers Guild Palestine Subcommittee. In 2015 he drafted a 63-page submission to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on behalf of the Palestine Subcommittee, “Neither facts nor law support Israel’s self‐defense claim regarding its 2014 assault on Gaza.” (attached) He was a member of the February 2009 National Lawyers Guild delegation to Gaza immediately after Operation Cast Lead in 2009 and contributed to its report, "Onslaught: Israel's Attack on Gaza and the Rule of Law." He again collected evidence in Gaza immediately after Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012 as part of a 20-member Code-Pink delegation, and he authored or co-authored articles describing findings, including "Why the Self-Defense Doctrine Doesn't Legitimize Israel's Assault on Gaza." Over 20 of his articles on Israeli attacks on Palestine have been published on Truthout, Counterpunch, Mondoweiss, Opednews, and the Huffington Post. He has been an active participant in the campaign to end Israel’s wars and occupations, supremacy, and apartheid since 1982, when he helped found the organization, "Washington Area Jews Against the Israeli Invasion of Lebanon."

When African Americans mention “The Talk,” they refer to important conversations their parents or elders had with them concerning how to survive in a racist, hostile, environment, specifically when confronted by the police. I imagine similar conversations occur between parents and children among all People of Color and marginalized communities. However, in a nation that will soon be dominated by people of color, it is crucial that such conversations occur among White families as well concerning how to live peacefully and productively in a multiracial and multicultural country where all prosper. The Talk, Vermont is about the concerns and interests of Black Vermonters, Vermonters of Color, and other marginalized communities that can be shared with all Vermonters and those who wish to live in one of the whitest state in the nation, in the hope that we can truly learn and grow from our interactions with one other, and make Vermont a truly hospitable state in which all may learn and grow.

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