Taking a scenic drive along Route 90 in Cayuga County, my sister and her partner came across the sign above. They were horrified and decided to create their own version. I never have understood how these signs can be placed along a designated "scenic byway."
5 comments:
Vic,
I am so sorry they had to see those signs.....but this is the real sad thing about those signs: They have been up along the roads for so many years now, that I do not even notice them anymore. They are just part of the landscape. I don't think about them or their context. I am sure many people around here feel the same way. We should be taking notice of such things,but after a length of time we become blind to it. To me, and I wonder if others feel this way, it is just another "political" sign of the times. I suppose if people have land there and feel they may lose their land, they may feel resentment, but for most people, it is an old issue. Interestingly enough, I feel I am very in tune to others feelings, and I let this get by me! Many people just don't understand the issue and just ignore the signs, figuring it is something to do with "someone else". So I hope your sister and her partner do not judge the people of this area as uncaring, because I think that is so untrue. But, like me, they may be blind to those signs by now. For those visiting this area, it is most likely a curious and sometimes shocking thing to see. They are not very welcoming to our area and sure do send a message from a very few people. They should come down and should never have been put up in the first place!!! I agree!
Debbie
Hi Debbie,
Good to hear from you! One of things that my sister and partner kept saying is how beautiful it is here and their experience here has been good. The signs are jarring because they show a side of this region that is easy to ignore if you are not from the people being told to get out. People of color who have interviewed at Wells that I have had a chance to talk with have told me that the signs made them feel extremely uncomfortable and very UNwelcome here. Last year in the President's Committee on Diversity I suggested Wells place a sign next to each one of these signs that reads, "Wells Welcomes Diversity" or something like that. A year later... nothing. If these are political signs then other people also have the right to place different points of view. To me it seems Wells should be taking a leadership position to recruit and retain students, staff, and faculty of color. One way to do this is to place signs that tell a different story next to the ones that are unwelcoming so that people know that many of us who live and work here and make our lives here, do not agree with the sentiments that are being expressed.
Vic,
While I don't agree with the sentiment of the signs, if the signs are on private property it may be difficult to post your proposed signs next to them. However, if you know any land owners in the area who are sympathetic to welcoming everyone, it may be possible to post the signs on their property. I think it would nice to see a sign on entering Aurora that welcomed visitors to the village and expressed support for diversity. Seeing an official sign of welcome from the local government might help to ameliorate some of the negative attitudes from the anti-treaty signs.
John
Hi Vic!
Years ago when the signs first appeared there were a flurry of rumors flying around the community about new owners of property not paying taxes and gambling casinos built on purchased property. The rumors were like a slow disease, town meetings were held, the local newspaper got involved and more community members began to take sides without really knowing or fully understanding what was happening. I remember that I was one who was asked to put a sign up on my property.
Someone I knew and respected was very involved in this. I attended a couple of meetings and was shocked and dismayed by what I heard. I remember thinking the meetings were like "hate group" meetings. You know, the speaker got up, told the large group that land was purchased, taxes would not be paid, gambling casinos would be built...and then added their own personal slant on what else would happen if "we" let this new group move in. The talk went from purchased land to tax evasion to gambling casinos and on to drug and alcohol abuse, gambling addictions...and so on. I sat in the first meeting listening to everyone just jumping on the bandwagon. The 2nd meeting I attended there were even more people and the same thing happened all over. I remember the only time I said anything was in the 2nd meeting. I raised my hand and asked if there was any documentation that would prove all of the things stated would in fact happen. That's when the speaker came out with "statistics" on casinos, gambling, substance abuse and other addictions that often accompany casinos and the arrival of Native Americans. After the 2nd meeting I walked up to the speaker and asked where the statistic data came from. I was told that they were state statistics and could look them up anytime. So I looked...and looked...and never saw the statistics that were presented at the meeting.
I never allowed that sign to be placed on my property.
The person I knew well and respected does not speak with me any longer. As the years have passed, many of those signs have come down...but I know there are some left. They should not be there.
People react out of fear and often that fear is based on "hear say". At least that is my opinion.
I do agree with you, I would love to see from schools and other oganizations display signs that welcome diversity. Sadly, that has not happened and I can understand how unwelcomed travelers may feel as they pass through the community and see those signs.
As Debbie said, those are the opinions of a few...and not all in the community.
Rene'
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