It came 83 years after the fact, but the University of Vermont issued an apology Friday for the “stereotyping, persecution and in some cases state sponsored sterilization” that resulted from the Vermont Eugenics Survey that operated from 1925 to 1936.
It targeted Native Americans, French Canadians, people of color and the poor. UVM professor Henry Perkins directed and founded the effort, with support from other UVM leaders including then-president Guy Bailey.
“We recognize and deeply regret this profoundly sad chapter in Vermont and UVM’s history,” university president Tom Sullivan said in a statement Friday.
Last fall UVM trustees voted to remove Bailey’s name from the campus library because of his support for the survey.
Don Stevens, chief of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk-Abenaki Nation, had lobbied Sullivan for the apology as a natural next step. He told Seven Days Friday that it was an important bridge toward healing. His own grandmother was targeted in the survey but escaped sterilization.
“I have to give Tom Sullivan and UVM credit for actually doing this step,” said Stevens, a Shelburne resident. “How many years have we been looking for this? Generations. At least they are stepping up to the plate, So I want this to be a positive. Obviously, there was a dark history, but I have to applaud them for doing this.”
His grandmother, a Burlington resident, was labeled a “cripple” in the survey and a descendant of a man who was “chief of his tribe.”
The eugenics movement went well beyond Vermont, but its disturbing history in the Green Mountain State has triggered recent debates. Last month, Vermont state librarian Jason Broughton announced that Vermont author Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s name would be removed from a state book award. Critics said her contributions are tainted by her ties to the Vermont Eugenics Survey.
Sullivan, who will retire as president this summer, calls in his letter for education as a preventive force in the future.
“Let us move forward, together, as an educational community to ensure that such a grave injustice never be repeated,” his statement urges. “By providing relevant, accessible educational initiatives going forward, we have an opportunity to better come to terms with the past and learn from these tragic lessons.”
Here’s Sullivan’s full letter:
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80 years ago. Mistake. Time to move on!
Reparations are needed!
This was a beautiful first step toward moving forward (NOT moving on.)
Unfortunately, there are many fearful hateful souls still out there that NEED to hear and see this. More importantly, there are many beautiful souls out there whose lives were directly affected by those actions 90 years ago as well as the actions of many other community “leaders.”
The atrocities can’t be undone, but the healing can start with ownership of and public apologies for the wrongs.
The haters need to know that their time is over.
I’m so grateful for the (current) leadership at UVM for setting this wonderful example.
UVM admin has been co-opted by the wing nuts to the extent that the school is losing its grip on academics.
The school’s lib-arts curriculum is going out of business as the “safe spacers” whine about lack of respect.
If this nonsense keeps up – and there is no indication it won’t – UVM is on a perilous course of mediocrity leading to disaster.
Trustees better get with the program before it’s too late.
Hopefully the affected Snowflakes never find out about the Kakewalk Minstrel Shows that UVM used to hold every Winter Carnival.
Are they kidding…Apologizes….This happened 83-94 yrs ago !!! You can’t change history .. you learn from it.!!! Why can’t people understand this !! These liberal snowflakes at the college weren’t even born yet nor their parents. Where is all the common sense that people had??? They even think socialism is great, but they need to read their history, as Hitler had adults and children experimented on. You can’t hide history, you learn from it, understand it good or bad you LEARN from it. UVM use to be a great college now it’s nothing but a liberal school for snowflakes…..
A comment above suggests that socialism is bad because “Hitler had adults and children experimented on.” Although the National Socialist German Worker’s Party (Nazis) had “socialist” in their name, they were anything but socialistic. In fact, Hitler and the Nazis targeted leftwing political opponents immediately on assuming power. Hitler and the Nazis were not socialists. They hated socialism. I can’t recommend reading books highly enough. Really. Read books. READ BOOKS.
Also, as a historian, I object to the notion that acknowledging the mistakes of the past somehow is “hiding” history and prevents people from learning from it. Ignoring the past problems of our society is actually “hiding” our history from those who should learn lessons from it…
People who get angry at “snowflakes” for acknowledging the horrible misdeeds and mistakes of the past and trying to rectify such abhorrent legacies confuse me. You say “move on” when this is exactly what they are trying to help us all to do. Do you not want your friends, families, and neighbors to have a working understanding of their own pasts? Do you not want to live in a better and more just world? Do you not want the best for your community, society, country, and world? If not, why not? I honestly don’t understand this anger. Is it a sort of instinctive defensiveness? Does acknowledging unpleasant truths make you ashamed?
Apologies mean acknowledgement that may or may not open hearts of those hurt, those unaffected and the future. However, without understanding of causes eugenics will be repeated under another guise. This was not the first time in our history, it was preceded by witch hunts, indigenous carnage and I am sure assaults on other groups. I am deeply concerned that the removal of acknowledgements of individuals who in their humanity accepted one item of “Wrong thinking”. Removing Bailey’s, Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s, and Perkins names from places of prominence will not mitigate nor will it assist future generations in understanding the era in which they lived. It is much more important to give light to the GOOD & the BAD of our many periods of history.
Having given a talk on the Vermont eugenics movement in several venues, I almost always am approached by audience members who remember parents, grandparents and relatives who were subjected to scrutiny under the guise of social services. They were no ddoubt flattered to get the attention of a social worker, little realizing the consequences: sterilization, institutionalization, separation of families. And ironically, all under the Progressive banner. Most forward-thinking, educated professionals supported it. This is why so many traditional Vermonters are deeply suspicious of seemingly innocuous surveys and studies, no matter how beign.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6wSLfGBVGY Discrimination of the romani people , spanish irish traveler tribes , and native tribal people in the state of vermont
https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/actsResolves/1869/1869acts0463.pdf the state of mass says that UVM and the state and catholic church cant claim ownership of a status discussion . the commonwealth and the state and veterans affairs are supposed to discuss papers and treaty rights
That means that people who came from canada are as they are . the commonwealth can decide resources for reconnnecting with autentic culture or minority related cultures vermont does not know much about things that are cultural . instituationalization and socialism are non cultural counter cultural initatives from the state and uVM goddard college are hippy culture , unitarian or new age . the term for that problem is instituational racism and cultural appropriation
Perhaps we could add The Eagles “Get Over It” playing in the background as a sound track.
I am surprised at the dismissiveness, the mockery, and the anger that people are posting about this…
My close friend’s family members were sterilized during these campaigns without their knowledge. Why celebrate those responsible? Why mock efforts to acknowledge these crimes?
To be clear: 1) forced sterilization is genocide 2) when you mock this issue, you are making jokes about genocide.
Is that the look you’re going for?
Remember, eugenicists are bad…. except for Margaret Sanger. She’s amazing.
So just shut up, misogynist.
If Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s name is removed, how come no one is removing Sara Holbrooks too???? JUst saying, it is a slippery slope….