To the editor:

I received your editorial (“Confronting racist symbols is hard but necessary”) from a relative who has summered with me and many friends in the Adirondacks since we were kids in the 1950s. We have a family subscription to the Enterprise as well as other Adirondack publications and have followed area developments with deep concern.

I respect you and thank you for clearly and firmly opposing symbols that say to visitors and residents of “a particular skin color, religion or orientation” that they are not welcome in the Adirondacks.

Some who display or don’t object to the Confederate flag may not know its history in the past and present as a banner for enslavement, segregation and horrific anti-Black racist violence, including the lynching of THOUSANDS of Black men, women and children. Thank you for providing this concise history lesson. May I add that as of this past July, ALL the former Confederate states have removed this hateful symbol from their state flags.

Your editorial, the stance of the Tupper Lake Town Council, the many statements and rallies of area residents, the work of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative and the official banners opposing racism displayed in Saranac Lake give me hope that I can continue to vacation with diverse friends and family members safely in this most beautiful portion of our country.

As a white woman, I hope we are moving toward the day when “confronting racist symbols,” behavior and institutions is not “hard but necessary” work, but is what we simply expect of each other. Then I think we’ll be on our way to transforming the United States into a country where Black lives truly matter, Indigenous peoples are valued, and mutual respect for all people can be the themes of our united banners.

Ginny Hildebrand

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania