Letters to the Editor | Feb. 14, 2023

As a teacher who has taught Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye countless times, I read with alarm the article about its censorship in a New Jersey school. Apparently, some parents find the book to be disturbing. It is disturbing, but what’s missing from the discussion is the value of discomfort in education. Much of what one learns in school is disturbing. As a Nobel Prize-winning author, Morrison takes on big, disturbing ideas, which she expresses in breathtakingly beautiful prose. The Bluest Eye is not an easy book to teach, but it has never been more relevant. Instead of banning it, let’s focus on supporting teachers who have the courage to teach it. Techniques such as journaling to help students process their emotions as they read, and showing how imagery such as the rape of a child might be understood as a metaphor for internalized racism, can lead to understanding. So many students who have read this book express gratitude and say it is one of the most powerful books they have ever encountered. I suspect they feel they have been trusted with some hard truths about life in the world they will soon need to shepherd. Young people are our future. We need them to be educated, and often education starts with discomfort.

Dolores Figueroa Verdeur, Villanova

Recently, the Republicans in Congress expelled Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. This move was not surprising, but it was deeply disappointing to see Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick side with his party on this issue. Fitzpatrick represents one of the most evenly balanced districts in the country. His entire election strategy is based on promoting bipartisanship and decrying the “Hatfield and McCoy” brand of divisive rhetoric and political vengeance (a phrase he’s used often). But what could be more vengeful than ousting a Democrat from a committee because Democrats took MAGA-extremists Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar off committees in the last Congress? Fitzpatrick uses bipartisanship as a selling point, but his recent votes show that the voters of Pennsyvlania’s 1st Congressional District were sold a false bill of goods.

Kierstyn P. Zolfo, Newtown

As the pandemic made abundantly clear, Philadelphia’s parks are among the city’s greatest assets. The newly wild and open meadows in FDR Park are an especially unique treasure. In an attempt to prioritize profits over people and the planet, however, the city wants to pave over this amazing green space with athletic facilities, when such amenities already exist nearby. This, coupled with the complete disregard for community input, is not indicative of a city government that cares about its people. This shortsighted proposal would do irreparable harm to a South Philly park beloved by residents from all over the city. Furthermore, it is completely misaligned with efforts to impede climate change. The park is not for sale, and it is time for the city to reconsider its master plan and include all its constituents in decisions that directly affect them.

Beatrice Zovich, Philadelphia

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