Vermont

Commentary | Nancy Braus – Notes from a Vermont Activist: Combating centuries of racism and sexism

Published

2 years ago

July 29, 2024

Commentary | Nancy Braus – Notes from a Vermont Activist: Combating centuries of racism and sexism

In the next three months, we will witness the difference between a Black man successfully running for president against an old school Republican and the elitist, corporate but law following Republican party that used to exist, and a Black woman trying to best a racist, xenophobic and sexist cult leader in the age of the new, so much more hate filled Republican party. Since 2015, as the cult of Trump has solidified, people who had racist tendencies and thought they had better keep them to their small group of friends, or to themselves due to “political correctness” are out in the world. They are trying to drown immigrant children in swimming pools, slapping an 11-year-old Black child in the face for standing in line with his mostly white class, actually burning a cross to intimidate Black neighbors in South Carolina in 2023. In surveys, nearly 90 percent of MAGA cult members have been convinced that white men are oppressed – more so than any other ethnic group! This has been a head scratcher for me: who runs the world?

Interestingly, while I haven’t done any snooping into past racist insults to Obama, birtherism, created and magnified by Trump, is the most prominent racist insult during Obama’s campaign – when he was clearly born in Hawaii. Trump is now trying to stoke the same stupid insult – that because Harris’ parents were immigrants, even though she was born in Oakland, Calif., she is somehow not eligible to run for president. This gets even dumber when you realize that the VP qualifications are the same as that of the president.

We are already seeing the stupidity of a number of Republican elected officials using the new insult to Black folks: you are a DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) hire. In the case of Harris, this is particularly stupid, because she was elected fair and square – in a number of elections. This new “DEI hire” insult is what a lot of people are equating with the new N word, and it is being used a lot in most inappropriate ways. We also are seeing the many ways stupid men can insult women for living their lives – that troll JD Vance had previously called Harris a “childless cat lady who has no stake in the government because she does not have kids!!” Has anything like that ever been said about a male politician?!

When I learned Biden was answering my prayers and stepping down from what had already become a disaster of a campaign, it felt like the only right answer for Kamala Harris to replace him. I still believe that we will win, but I am shocked – either at myself for underestimating the fundamental racial and sexist hatred of millions of white Americans, or at the actual stupid and pathetic insults this brilliant and accomplished woman of color is enduring on a daily basis.

Donald Trump is super angry about having to face an opponent who makes him look old and highlights his unique brand of dementia. While the cult still worships him, he is going more and more off the planet of sanity with his obsessions with sharks, Hannibal Lecter, low water showers and toilets, and so much other stuff that leaves the sane population scratching our heads. For the population who is not permanently glued to Fox and Newsmax, the contrast between an energetic, youthful appearing, former prosecutor who appears to care about issues such as women’s rights, and a sloppy, rude and crude liar with no policy positions and a constant chip on his shoulder about all the ways he has been wronged should make Harris a shoo-in. But, truly the only way we can honestly lose, I believe, is if the hatred for Black people, and the persistent ideas of women’s inferiority bring Trump back to power.

So how do we combat the hundreds of years that have made so many white Americans believe that they are superior to people of color? How do we combat the centuries of bad religion that convinces conservative members of all desert religions that women are inferiors?

It is simplistic to say that Kamala Harris needs to show the world who she is, what she has accomplished so far, and what she intends to do. It may be simplistic to believe that enough Americans can be convinced to vote for Harris because she is the person we need to stop the Christofascists in the Trump camp, but millions of people seem to be responding with outrage and fear to the 900-page plan to take over the government – Project 2025. This race promises to be transformative in one way or another: we will either end with a fascist government, millions of people will leave voluntarily and by force, tons of jobs would go unfilled (do we really believe native born Americans will pick the crops?) No matter what the liar Trump says, there would be a national abortion ban, including drug induced terminations, and likely birth control restrictions that will eliminate many methods that have helped families plan their futures. Or we live in a country that is deeply flawed in wealth inequality, spends far too much of our tax dollars on war, especially the war on Gaza, and has almost non-existent public transit, among the many problems. But, if Harris is elected, we who believe in a better future live to fight another day.

Nancy Braus is a regular columnist for the Reformer who writes from Guilford. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.

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Vermont

Hour-by-hour: See when to expect steady snow Tuesday in Vermont, New York

Published

11 hours ago

April 7, 2026

Press Room

Roads will turn slippery mid-morning through mid-afternoon

Hour-by-hour: See when to expect steady snow Tuesday in Vermont, New York

Roads will turn slippery mid-morning through mid-afternoon

NBC5 meteorologists expect a burst of steady snow to arrive Tuesday morning in Vermont and northern New York, lasting through the early-mid afternoon. Deteriorating road conditions will lead to slow travel for several hours, with some improvement expected by the evening commute.Watch the video above to see the timeline for your area.

NBC5 meteorologists expect a burst of steady snow to arrive Tuesday morning in Vermont and northern New York, lasting through the early-mid afternoon.

Deteriorating road conditions will lead to slow travel for several hours, with some improvement expected by the evening commute.

Watch the video above to see the timeline for your area.

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Vermont

Magnificent 7: Must-See, Must-Do Events in and Around Vermont, April 8-15 | Seven Days

Published

23 hours ago

April 6, 2026

Press Room

Magnificent 7: Must-See, Must-Do Events in and Around Vermont, April 8-15 | Seven Days

Perfectly Seasoned

Sunday 12

You know TV personality Alton Brown as the quirky host of hit reality cooking shows such as “Iron Chef America” and “Cutthroat Kitchen.” Now the culinary commentator and author takes the stage solo at Rutland’s Paramount Theatre for a no-frills show of his talents, trading the glitz and glamour of Hollywood for a more intimate showcase of food science, humor and heart.

Girl Almighty

Friday 10

Diana Whitney Credit: Courtesy of Beowulf Sheehan

Queer author and educator Diana Whitney launches her patriarchy-smashing poetry collection, Girl Trouble, in conversation with fellow writer Eve Alexandra at Next Stage Arts in Putney. Listeners hear unflinching takes on growing up female, adolescent trauma, rape culture and modern movements of resilience before roaring onto the dance floor to channel the grit and grace of feminism.

Fun Facts

Thursday 9

It’s no surprise that we stan Local News Day (see page 13). Journalism leaders and advocates fill Montpelier’s Kellogg-Hubbard Library for a fact-forward fête celebrating the value of civic transparency and trusted community information. A documentary screening and a panel discussion explore media ecosystems and spur dialogue about how to sustain an essential public resource.

Role Models

Saturday 11

Scale model makers and Lego lovers connect at CAN-AM Con at Williston’s National Guard Armory, where seminars and vendors complement a display contest honoring late Japanese producer Shunsaku Tamiya. Junior builders and veterans show off their finest constructions from any Tamiya kit for consideration in categories such as Best of Class and People’s Choice.

Saturday 11

Disco Inferno

The Current — Stowe’s center for contemporary art — invites philanthropic partygoers to the Lodge at Spruce Peak for Gala ’54: After Hours. The annual fundraiser boasts silent and live auctions, a cocktail reception, and chef-crafted food stations, all inspired by New York City’s glamorous Studio 54 era. Then revelers hit the dance floor to boogie oogie oogie in their flashiest disco dress.

See gallery listing at sevendaysvt.com/art

Piste de Résistance

Saturday 11 & Sunday 12

Music and winter culture festival Gather Outdoors takes Stratton Mountain Resort by storm with a superlative lineup of jam bands and electronic artists, including Philadelphia legends the Disco Biscuits and rising star Karina Rykman. The high-energy mountainside affair fuses plein air recreation with an immersive club atmosphere for an unforgettable end to the ski season.

Reading the Room

Tuesday 14

Vermont poet laureate Bianca Stone continues her “State of Poetry” tour with a stop at Phoenix Books in Burlington. Stone leads an analytical deep dive into the craft of late Nobel Prize-winning writer — and the nation’s 12th poet laureate — Louise Glück, underscoring the vital cultural impact of her contributions to American literature.