In his commentary in last Friday’s Gazette, Prof . Lawrence Harrison made several observations and presumptions about the episode between Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley that cannot go unchallenged.

TONE DOWN RHETORIC

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Much is being made of the recent arrest of Harvard Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr. at his own home in Cambridge. And indeed, Professor Gates being African American and the arresting officer being white, the case is fraught with racial symbolism. Even President Barack Obama has become embroiled in the controversy, making remarks critical of the actions of Cambridge police.

Zachariah Howwoswee Jr. was the last Aquinnah preacher to speak to his flock in his native language, Wôpanâak. By the early 19th century, there were few parishioners left who could understand him. Forced to give his sermons mostly in English, he would revert to Wôpanâak to make his most particular points to his flock. At these times, an observer wrote, “he would cry, and they would cry.”

Clocking the Turkey

From Gazette editions of August, 1934:

On the evening of Wednesday, July 29, the Vineyard Conservation Society presented a public information forum titled Ponds in Peril. Several speakers analyzed problems in various Island ponds leading to declining water quality and pond health.

Throughout the evening, emphasis was focused on nitrogen excess as a primary cause of eutrophication and the consequences thereof. Sources of nitrogen were identified as resulting principally from human presence and activities.

Continuing the Conversation on Race