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by Jacqueline Posley
Dear legislators – I remember learning about the Holocaust in third grade and asking my teacher, “But where were all of the good people?” Even at a young age I questioned how such a large number of people could allow such atrocities to happen. It was at that time that I decided I would never sit silently when I saw unjust actions that would cause mass harm. Of course at eight years old that seems like a million lightyears away. Fast-forward a mere twenty years later and here we are. After recent legislative actions, I find myself needing to, at the very least, plead with the committees that have the most power over marginalized lives.
In a time when the federal government cannot be trusted to protect the lives of all of your constituents, the responsibility largely falls to you. The lives of Black Vermonters, the indigenous community, people of color, unhoused children & adults, veterans, our youth (in general), individuals covered by ADA, the LGBTQ+ community, educators, and undocumented Vermonters need your special attention as we often fear for our safety and long term wellbeing.
When I look at this session’s repertoire… I look to my right and see legislators voting against proposals including, “$8.6 million to the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board to expand affordable housing and shelter capacity, including improvements to manufactured homes; $2.8 million to pilot supportive housing for adults with developmental disabilities; $10 million to stabilize community residential mental health and substance use providers, as well as other community health providers…; $1.8 million to extend winter weather eligibility rules for emergency motel housing from April 1 through June 30, ensuring vulnerable Vermonters have access to shelter; $5.6 million… an appropriation to Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington for nursing outreach for disabled veterans.” 1I look to my left and see legislators fighting against protections for the undocumented community. I look up and see potential changes to the election process that have no account or intent to add cognizance for marginalized people. I look down and immediate relief is available for the very apparent housing crisis and is in waiting while people (sometimes) survive sub-zero temperatures in cars, on the streets, and perish in tents. And I guess actually cannot technically claim there is opposition to anything directly relating to the Black community because you’re not discussing us at all –
This is not the Vermont that was the first to abolish slavery or a leader in the fight for same-sex marriage. This is a new beast.
Nearly two years ago I wrote My Last Plea as a Black Vermonter begging for much the same thing I am asking for today: equitable attention to sensitive groups. There are equity tools that can evaluate the impacts of your actions before final decisions are made. For example:
Equity Impact Assessment Tool developed by Vermont’s Office of Racial Equity – As stated on the Office of Racial Equity website, “Equity and inequity impacts everyone—no exceptions. For this reason, each of us has a responsibility to learn the history and ramifications of injustice and bias.”
and
A Racial Equity Framework for Assessing Health Policy created by The Commonwealth Fund – Its goal is to establish a conceptually nuanced, empirically informed, and practically useful framework for analyzing the racial equity implications of health policies.
I am humbly asking, again, if you will please remind yourself about these populations when you say no to issues that can directly benefit large populations of underrepresented Vermonters. With each bill I beg you to ask yourself, “How will this impact the lives of underrepresented people?” I am here for no other reason than to plead with you about your cognizance of my own life and hundreds of thousands of others.
As always, I greatly appreciate your time.
-Jacqueline Posley
Originally from Mississippi, Jacqueline moved to Vermont in 2018. She is now a lobbyist and writer, focusing on human rights, politics, and Black culture.
- Questions on Southworth’s Vote Tied to Party, by Chip Troiano for the Hardwick Gazette https://hardwickgazette.org/2025/02/25/questions-on-southworths-vote-tied-to-party/ ↩︎
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Categories: Commentary
Marginalized and under-represented? You mean like… Conservatives? Like… Republicans? Like… Patriots?
Buzzwords aside, Jacqueline, while I respect your opinion and your right to express it, you have to realize that ALL of us have a “wish list” similar to yours. ALL of us. And, as has been the case for eternity, NONE of us gets everything we want, because everyone’s priorities don’t match up. Never mind the fact that there will never be enough money so that everyone can get everything they want and we can all live in utopia, short of (perhaps) the release of zero-point technologies.
At least in a functional legislature, this is why we have debate. And debate of the facts SHOULD be how a functional legislature decides whose “wishes” get enacted into law, all the while trying to balance fairly who gets what, while trying to not overburden any particular group. Maybe I should have said a *mythical* functional legislature, but you get my point.
In a democratic republic such as the USA, everyone gets a voice. An EQUAL voice. At least that’s how it’s *supposed* to work. And our legislators hash out the relative priorities and how they fit into their budget.
Just a thought – Maybe we could take the money saved by eliminating Vermont’s “Equity Impact Assessment Tool” and the “Vermont Office of Racial Equity” and put it toward concrete things. You know, YOUR wish list, and mine.
Jacqueline Posley needs to embrace the concept that in the new America, no citizens are underrepresented or marginalized. We are all equal in the eyes of the law. She needs to shed this progressive notion of a person’s status in society being enhanced by their perceived victimhood or historic marginalization based on ethnicity, skin color, who you sleep with or your gender/species expression. After the American people TWICE elected a Black president, we now live in POST-RACIAL AMERICA. Just moving to Vermont 7 years ago as a lobbyist and activist doesn’t give you special privileges to dictate ideology to a free-minded people.
“…committees that have the most power over marginalized lives.” “…the federal government cannot be trusted to protect the lives of all of your constituents, the responsibility largely falls to you…” Power over our lives ??? Doesn’t that strike you as a misuse of government power? Responsibility largely falls to you…our more local government entities? NO — us personally and our re-animated charitable initiatives & NGO’s. Wasn’t this the source of religious orders for centuries, Franciscans, Jesuits, Sisters of Charity? Helping those in need is a moral imperative. It must be clear by now that trying to substitute legal/government efforts is a failed diversionary illusion.
Marginalized? I’m a veteran and I don’t consider myself that. If anything I consider myself disrespected by those who never wore the uniform and don’t have a clue about it. I gave up mediocrity and marginalization when I put the uniform on.
I want to be clear on something. If you want something, you work for it. Don’t tell me that you are worthy of something, SHOW me that you are! I’m getting tired of people who think they’re entitled and start playing either the victim or the race card. I raised my standards. Raise yours!
Ms. Posley, may I suggest, in the spirit of Black History Month, you study Frederick Douglas?
Or Booker T Washington…..or Thomas Sowell
If you really cared about reducing overall human suffrage, you wouldn’t be striving for so called equity. Historically, equity driven policies have only increased net suffrage. Emotionally it feels like a good idea. Logically, from an outcome driven perspective, it never has been and never will be. Put your emotions aside.
A lobbyist? Who exactly is paying her?
In short, the solution is to marginalize, demoralize, and dehumanize those who do not check the appropriate boxes or resist idolizing or capitulating to self-proclaimed “special” classes of human beings? Demand “equity” while demanding special treatment and special concessions is an oxymoron.
I contend those who hate or distrust others based on conjured fairy tales of white privledge are willingly segregating and demoralizing themselves. They reject and refute the real enemy of humanity is the elitist globalists that feed heads full of garbage pseudo-intellectual deception and manipulations. Divide and conquer, steal, kill and destroy. Evil is what evil does – I see and I hear it every single day in many nefarious, diabolical ways.
There used to be an advertisement tag line “don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.” I say to the social justice warrirors, “don’t hate me because I’m a spiritual being having a human experience.” I rebuke you for judging me and my fellow indebted servants based on my race, color or creed. You don’t have a clue who I am, how I feel, or what I’ve been dragged through over the past decades. Same goes for my elders who were used and abused by the Crown long before race baiting and gender fluidity ever existed.
The notion that atrocities of crimes against humanity is somehow the fault of one race or color is an abomination and an outright lie. When looking at the big picture, there is no discrimination whatsoever when it comes to spilling red blood for power and control over the masses. You are either a member of the human race or a peddler of lies at the bequest of your Master. There is no honor among thieves.
The only marginalized and underrepresented people are the taxpayers whose money is sent to so called marginalized and underrepresented people in other counties.
https://doge.gov/
I have to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the comments on this page. Your understanding of our constitutional republic and the individualism it supports is encouraging, to say the least.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to VDC for providing a platform that allows comments. Hopefully, Ms. Posley will take this input to heart with the same respect in which it is offered.
It’s amazing the arrogance and self centeredness, I move here a couple of years ago and tell 97% of the people here without homes that I need a home first. Pick me first. Pick me because of my race, first, or you are racist!
Like all these groups they want you tax money, which we will confiscate you property if you don’t pay for my little pet projects, that have nothing to do with running the government but make my life more affluent.
She should let us know that if we don’t give her money the world climate crisis will destroy the world in 8 years, then we’ll know she has completely been absorbed by United Nations.
Who is she a lobbyist for? People should be proud of whom they represent, who?Who?
Vermont is Astro Turf king, here is an Astro turf minion.
Lest there be any confusion, Neil, I disagree with your assessment. Ms. Posely clearly addressed “… Black Vermonters, the indigenous community, people of color, unhoused children & adults, veterans, our youth (in general), individuals covered by ADA, the LGBTQ+ community, educators, and undocumented Vermonters’…“.
Criticizing Ms. Posely solely on her reference to race is more a reflection on your perspective, not hers.
“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster… for when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”― Friedrich W. Nietzsche
Jay there is a pecking order with DEI, where do 95% of all Vermonters fall on this spectrum? How does this work with all men are created equal? How does this work with the constitution? How does this work with science? How does this work with Gods law?
What thought, group and spirit does DEI work in tandem with and what is the fruit of DEI?
We’re all created equal, Neil. But we don’t stay that way. Equal access. Not equal outcome. One’s race and skin color are but singular trees in that forest we call humanity. Don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees.
DEI places some at the bottom, who are they? DEI places all religions above what one religion, which one is that? Who is the arch enemy of DEI? Why?
Therefore who might be the ruler of DEI? What is the fruit of DEI? You can tell a tree by its fruit. Can you tell a group or person by their enemies? Can you tell a person by their actions or by their words? Can you tell a person by what their field looks like?
So, DEI made you do it?
DEI doesn’t do anything, Neil. People do. To focus on DEI is to fall into the trap of unaccountability and cowardice.
Remember… “when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”
As a Black Vermonter, I resent Ms Posely’s condescending and lecturing tone. If you don’t like Vermont, why not go back to the racial utopia of Mississippi Ms Posely. We do not need you and you’re not welcome with your expectant attitude. Who do you think you are? Why did you come up here? Do you really think that the white folks up here owe you something? Newsflash: Vermonters owe you nothing and if you want, you can always go home.
The most underrepresented are the poor innocents who are butchered in the womb before they are even given a chance at life…the demonic are legislators and soul less who promote these murders…
Getting warmer, who has done this for thousands of years in times past and on the alter for whom…….
yankeebo …please comment with real, full name, thank you…