SDARJ to host webinar promoting unity, positivity
Following tragic displays of hate toward members of the Cape Region community, the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice will host a webinar, Hate Has No Home Here, from 1 to 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 21.
The theme of the free event is unity, love and condemning violence. Expected speakers include Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Delaware; Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long; Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings; Sen. Ernie Lopez, R-Lewes; Lewes Mayor Ted Becker; and Gail Launay-Tarlecki of the Delaware Human Relations Commission. Members of the church community, local businesses, police, and neighbors in the Wolfe Pointe community are also expected to speak. Those wishing to register for the event may do so at www.sdarj.org. It will also be broadcast on the group’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/SDARJDE/.
This event is in response to a challenging weekend in the Lewes and Rehoboth area. On Nov. 13, King and Wiest discovered someone had used weedkiller to chemically burn the word “Trump” into the front yard of their Wolfe Pointe home. The couple had previously displayed a Biden/Harris sign, Black Lives Matter flag and a yard sign that says “Enough Is Enough.” The incident is under investigation by the Delaware State Police.
On Nov. 14, a virtual program by Rehoboth Beach author and gay activist Fay Jacobs was interrupted by three people wearing MAGA hats who began screaming obscenities, showing a Ku Klux Klan video of cross burnings and projecting ear-splitting sounds.
On Nov. 15, now former Assistant Fire Chief Bill Henry Buckaloo used an anti-gay slur in a Facebook post to describe a drag show he attended at the Blue Moon in Rehoboth Beach. Buckaloo, who has since apologized, has been suspended and awaits a hearing before the department’s disciplinary committee.
Cape Region groups continued to denounce the actions throughout the week, including the League of Women Voters.
“We are saddened at the burning of a message into the front lawn of the home of Charlotte King and Aimee Weist of the Lewes area; just as we would be if it happened to any of our friends and neighbors, but especially so because both women are active members of the League of Women Voters,” said Carol Jones, League of Women Voters of Delaware president, and Gwendolyn Miller, League of Women Voters of Sussex County president, in a joint statement. “Additionally, Charlotte is also a former president of the state league. We are appalled at the burning of a name, a word, an image in front of anyone's home any time or anywhere. As the late Congressman John Lewis said, ‘We are one people with one family. We all live in the same house ... we must lay down the burden of hate. For hate is too heavy a burden to bear.’ We applaud the message of the Alliance that now appears in that front yard: ‘Hate Has No Home Here.’ We urge everyone to take some moments to reflect on that message. We urge all people to adopt that message as one of their own.”
To learn more about Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice and its work, go to www.sdarj.org.
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and handling page layout, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.
