Wasn’t here in 1892
“Wasn’t here in 1892,” Carmel Pine Cone – May 6, 2022
Pacific Gove’s “diversity, equity and inclusion” task force should know the following: As a resident of P.G., I am one-half German on my father’s side and one-quarter Irish and one-quarter Dutch on my mother’s side. That means that based on my ancestry, I may be responsible for starting World War II (the German side), causing the bloodshed and violence in Belfast (the Irish side) and colonizing Manhattan in the 16th century (the Dutch side). Maybe I should also apologize on behalf of my daughter who served on the Feast of Lanterns Court for two years. However, please consider that my daughter had a grandmother in Puerto Rico who was one-quarter Chinese.
So, in a manner of speaking, when my daughter served on the Feast of Lanterns court, she was not appropriating anyone but herself. Besides, if I remember correctly, many girls who have served in the Feast of Lanterns court had Asian ancestry.
As a citizen of Pacific Grove in 2022, I was not present when the Chinese Exclusion Act was signed in 1882. Nor was I personally involved when the fishing village (for a reason never officially determined) burned down in 1906.
Pacific Grove today is a city of people with diverse backgrounds and cultures. We do not discriminate against each other based on race. We celebrate and welcome all persons who come into our town. It is deplorable that the DEI task force chooses to stereotype and shame us for the more deplorable actions of the past based on assumptions of who we are and where we come from.
Carol Marquart, Pacific Grove