Dear Source:
Ms. Shomo, I am responding to your recent letter: "A Response to Anna Clarke's Fish Fry Letter." I'm sorry that you viewed my open letter to John deJongh so negatively in what was headlined as your response to my "Fish Fry Letter." You basically railed against me for making "sweeping assumptions" about my opinions on the voting process in the Virgin Islands but then accused me of bigotry, colonialism and racism in one fell swoop, followed by your suggestion that I try to "find something positive (besides the weather) in the community you live in."
To dissect your letter, yes, John deJongh is probably very approachable. I also think he's a most viable candidate. Business acumen, education, a proven record where the community is concerned. He and his wife are stalwart members of the community with a tremendous following and I don't dispute that.
However, the people who contacted me after the food sale were unable to actually talk to him but were given pamphlets which told them nothing about his real platform. You assumed in your letter that they were white but, gee, sorry, you were wrong. Both black and white. You also assumed that the newcomers ready to register to vote to whom I referred to were white. Wrong again, Ms. Shomo.
The history of campaign promises made and forgotten is nothing new either now or in past generations worldwide and of course this will never change. We can only wish and hope for our local government to truly serve the people. I wish for new governance which will cut back on all the perks and trappings and get back to "serving the people" in the truest sense.
Your response made racism an issue which it never was in the first place and I'm sorry about that because your comments were, in my opinion, very divisive and offensive. I think that maybe your assumptions, albeit mistaken, got your dander up and fired you up. Just because a white person expresses his or her opinion(s) does not a racial melee make.
Anna Clarke
St Thomas
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