More than 50 House lawmakers have sponsored a resolution that would formally apologize for their predecessors’ roles in the Vermont eugenics movement.
The apology is a necessary step toward atoning for the sins of that “dark period” in Vermont’s history, said Rep. Kate Webb (D-Shelburne), the resolution’s lead sponsor, during testimony on Tuesday before the House General, Housing, and Military Affairs Committee.
“For true healing to occur, we must acknowledge what this was, and the great suffering that it caused to Vermont citizens of the state — a state that was charged to protect them,” Webb said.
The resolution comes nearly 90 years after the Vermont legislature passed a law seeking to prevent the procreation of individuals thought to be at risk of having children who were “idiots, imbeciles, feebleminded or insane.”
The 1931 law, passed halfway through the 12-year Vermont Eugenics Survey, paved the way for the sterilization of more than 250 people — most of whom were Native Americans, French Canadians, people of color and the poor.
These procedures occurred “often without their fully informed voluntary consent,” according the resolution, which expresses the legislature’s “sincere sorrow” to those who were harmed as a result of these “state-sanctioned” acts.
“The devastating impact on the lives of the sterilized individuals and their families was irreversible,” the resolution says.
Eugenics was widely popular and considered progressive in its day, counting among its supporters president Theodore Roosevelt and Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger. In recent years, however, Vermont organizations have been forced to grapple with how to judge historical figures tied to the movement.
In 2018, the University of Vermont removed former president Guy Bailey’s name from its library and soon after apologized for its role in the eugenics survey, which was established by a university professor. And last year, the state Department of Libraries chose to rename the Dorothy Canfield Fisher book award over her involvement.
The Sara Holbrook Community Center, meanwhile, decided that its namesake’s tie to eugenics was not egregious enough to take action.
The legislature has also struggled with how to acknowledge this period of the state’s history. The House attempted two similar resolutions a decade ago, but neither made it out of the chamber.
Rep. Tom Stevens (D-Waterbury), chair of the House General, Housing, and Military Affairs Committee, was among the dozens of lawmakers to sign on to the resolution. He said he plans to host further testimony so that his committee has a “deeper understanding” of the issue.
“With my heart, I could vote this out today,” Stevens told the committee. “But we’re going to take a closer look at it and learn what we need to learn on this issue.”
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The parade mural on Leahy Way is a direct descendant of the Eugenics movement. Dorothy Canfield Fisher marketed the imaginative whiteness of Vermont in publications like Vermont Life to attract the right kind of tourists and second homeowners to Vermont. Similarly, the parade mural at an entrance to Burlington’s marketplace is intended to attract shoppers to Church Street. Dubbed ‘Only White Lives Matter’, the mural is a “tribute to Vermont builders, achievers, champions, entrepreneurs, etc. within a defined 1609 to 2009 timeline” — all white folks.
Well, there’s an indian in the mural, a Huron posed like a servant. No Abenaki people, the original Vermont farmers, hunters, fishers, trappers, artists, weavers, and guides. The commissioned Canadian artist said he left them out because Abenaki were not recognized in Vermont. Marketplace agreed with him because they decided who and what was includèd.
And there’s a token Negro in the parade. Ironically, he was white to all who knew him, was recorded as white by the US Census and graduated Middlebury college as a white student. After he died, the drop of blood law reassigned his racial identity. One of the mural artists plagiarized his likeness from the cover of a childrens book, and darkened his pale skin.
The parade mural is clearly in the tradition of DCF marketing whiteness to attract certain people to Vermont. Could call it The New Eugenics: Mass Erasure in the Age of Colorblindness.
more wasted time and taxpayer dollars.
The house is burning and this is the nonsense they’re concerned with?
These gestures do nothing towards reparations…it’s so white folks can feel better about colonialism and racism. Besides… if Ethan was telling the truth at the Continental Congress… that no Indians lived in Vermont, then why is an apology necessary?
If they pass this, then they are acknowledging Abenaki presence in the state and then should start giving them their territory back… the entire state is unceded territory, had never been conquered not did they ever make treaty for land grabs by those crafty Allen boys.
After that, we should send the two statues of Indian killers far from the state house, perhaps at the EA homestead.
Next, how about job creation, employment training, free tuition to any state college for Abenaki
?
Is anyone who was actually involved in the Vermont eugenics movement still alive? Is any actual victim still alive? If so, let such individual perpetrator(s) apologize to such victim(s), but the “state” has no business being in the official apology business. What a pandering waste of time by people who won’t focus on the state’s current, actual problems.
And of course no article on the 7D website would be complete without another rant about that terrible, awful, horrible, crime-against-humanity mural, i.e., a little-noticed wall painting in a little-used alley in a little-noticed northern New England city.
While apologizing for Vermont’s eugenics history our same legislature had no problem giving protective status as a women’s right to abort babies. In fact Planned Parenthood’s own founder Margaret Sanger had a very complicated history with eugenics movement, Hitler…Ironic while being on the apology tour some of our legislature has created an eugenics situation aimed at the most vulnerable of our society, right up to being born.. 🙁
https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2017/11/27/margaret-sanger-was-eugenicist-why-are-we-still-celebrating-her
The Eugenics Survey did NOT target the Abenakis. No where in those records is there an Abenaki identified whatsoever. If one looks at the Phillips Family of VT mentioned therein they were Black (African descent born out of slavery in CT and brought into northern VT ca. 1791 by the Keyes and Sheldon Families, and the Phillips were originally Phelps! You can detect this connection by way of Page 11 of the Phillips Summary of the V.E.S. Now you may ASSUME the Eugenics Records are private, or what have you, but in fact they are very much a matter of PUBLIC RECORD. Peter Phelps was the father of Antoine Phillips (1814-1885) who married Catherine Emery dit Coderre. Now let’s see you do your homework Vermont! I won’t hold my breath that you will. You haven’t so far.
What exactly will this do to reduce the unsustainable increases in Vermonts spending on education and in turn lower are property taxes. Does the legislature think this issue is more important.
seriously??!!!!! A lot of anger and pettiness… how is anyone aplologizing, hurting any of you.. and yes.. Native people were targeted,, do your research!!!
Perhaps B people are disgusted with empty meaningless platitudes . These false ceremonial apologies have become the standard default today for politicians , stars or others wishing to show contrition and remorse without actually be willing to act honorably . Do you believe the legislature is willing to do more then apologize ? It’s especially easy to do nothing when you are not apologizing for your own actions , but those from the distant past where you assume no personal culpability .
My Grandfather’s family was a target family of the VT Eugenics Project…they tracked 46 family members across Northwestern Vt & the Lake Champlain Islands ( I just violated a disclosure law) …Joseph LaBombard openly stated he was part Indian (my research indicates probably Mohawk from just east of Akwesasne)…my grandmother never breathed a word about who her ancestors were. She had 5 girls- 13 to 19, in 1931 when the program started. They were taking away children & sterilizing the kids & the parents. She was Chiasson, Giasson dit Janot (on the Wolinak Census) and Robidoux. Her daughters had a lot to lose. The State of Vermont missed us, & here I am, unrepentant! I ask for nothing. I expect nothing, other than that we can do better.
Abenaki Chief Don Stevens: “the Abenaki people don’t need [mural vandal Albert Petrarca], or anyone else, to speak on our behalf.”