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An open letter to the governor

By The Racial Justice Mission Group NH Conference, United Church of Christ Officers, Staff - | May 8, 2021

Dear Gov. Sununu,

We are responding to your statement of April 19, on New Hampshire Public Radio, in which you stated that “there is no systemic racism in New Hampshire.”

Systemic racism: The way in which bias embedded in an organization’s procedures, policies, informal practices, and cultural norms keeps the experiences of exclusion and inequity intact. The way in which entrenched bias creates and reproduces the means by which White people are privileged over People of color and Multi-Racial People.

We strongly disagree with your statement and find it to be absurd. You admit that “elements of racism and implicit bias” exist, but if so, then how is that separate from the context of systemic racism? We assert that systemic racism does exist in New Hampshire, and that it continues to diminish the quality of life to which people who are of non-European descent are inequitably entitled. Racism continues to impact the rights and privileges of Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, Southeast Asian, Latino, Middle Eastern and other communities in ways that are morally and legally wrong.

You often cite your efforts towards understanding these issues since taking office, including the formation of the Governor’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion. As Racial Justice Mission Group members with the New Hampshire Conference, United Church of Christ, we were there in person to witness you sign the Bill that declared Juneteenth an official state recognized holiday in 2019. Since the Pandemic began, many have discovered that disparity and inequity are even more profound than ever imagined. All these examples and your efforts towards awareness are completely diminished by your outright denial that systemic racism is the root cause.

We would welcome the opportunity to dialogue with you about the specific ways in which systemic racism affects the daily lives of the people of color in New Hampshire, and about how these issues of basic injustice and inequality can be further addressed. Until we can all get on the same page, your efforts lack meaning and are counterproductive towards progress that could actually lead to ensuring that systemic racism does not exist.

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