Editor,
This morning I walked through the doors of the Watertown Library and was heartened to see a simple black and white sign in the door stating “The Watertown Free Public Library welcomes and serves everyone.”
In these divisive times it was a welcome reminder that I live in a community that is diverse and that I believe takes pride in that diversity. This diversity was evident to me in the families that came to the door trick-or-treating on Halloween, in the number of different languages spoken in the schools and in my work as a tutor with Project Literacy.
As a white woman, I am unlikely to face discrimination in Watertown and I can’t presume that there is no discrimination or acts of harassment in our town. But in general, Watertown feels like a welcoming community and my hope is that we will all look for ways to foster that sense of community as we move forward in 2017.
Joan Blaustein
Riverside Street
Thanks for your letter Joan. It is nice to read and I couldn’t agree with you more. The Watertown Library has added nice touches all over town which I enjoy each time I go out. Regarding Watertown’s diversity, I am not sure if you have children in the schools but it has been parent teacher conference week. You step into our schools and the diversity is absolutely fantastic. We have our own global community at WPS. We have work to do to ensure that everyone feels and is free, no matter their home of origin, race, ethnicity, gender, political affiliation etc., but I’m so proud of where we are.
Thanks for your letter, Joan. Well said. And thanks to the library, the schools, the literacy program, tutors, World in Watertown, Watertown Community Foundation and it’s granted, community gardens, and so many others who work to make Watertown welcoming.