To the editor:

We, the board of the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with our executive director, condemn racism in the strongest terms. We regret and apologize for not issuing a statement immediately following the discovery of the racist graffiti in our village. Racism in any form is not welcome in Saranac Lake, and we must do our part to ensure that we, as an organization representing our business community, not only make this stance clear but that we commit to making changes that will lead to a more inclusive, diverse community, where residents and visitors feel welcome and safe.

We are sad to learn that we will be losing Nicky Hylton-Patterson as a valuable resident of Saranac Lake. We have much to learn about the myriad of ways that racism affects our society, and in particular how it affects our village, its residents, visitors and businesses. We are committed to educating ourselves to become better equipped to help foster inclusivity and to respond to instances of racism whenever they may occur.

Therefore, at minimum, three members of our board and our executive director will become participants in the Adirondack Diversity Initiative and commit to engage in available educational opportunities in regard to anti-racism to better serve our community. We will also pursue opportunities with other chambers and organizations to collectively learn to do this important work from a business and tourism perspective.

These are our initial steps on a long process to learn and grow as individuals and collectively as a board, staff and organization.

Sincerely,

The board of the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce:

Joe Shoemaker

Renee Darrah

Danielle Delaini

Brittany Sternberg

Jodi Gunther

Kirk Sullivan

Diane Leifheit

Fred Mazzeo

Jacob Wright

Katie Kirkpatrick

Keith Braun

Ashley Murray

Chris Knight

Patrick Murphy, executive director

Saranac Lake