Dear Editor,
I am writing in support of Rep. Michelle Bos-Lun, a teacher and restorative justice practitioner, who is seeking a second term in the Vermont House of Representatives.
In spring of 2021, Michelle and I gathered a group of concerned neighbors to address issues that arise in the community through creative communication and to offer support, now known as The Humanity Network. Since those first Zoom gatherings, we have co-sponsored with Rockingham and Westminster public libraries, held communication training with Restorative Community Practice of VT (www.rcpvermont.org/), hosted Listen Up! at The Bellows Falls Opera House, and organized The Chalkboard Project – two chalkboards at local businesses in Bellows Falls where community members are invited to answer and ask questions. We organized a well-attended rally for Reproductive Rights and a talent share of community members at the Butterfield Institute in Westminster. The Humanity Network is not a non-profit organization; we have no board of directors or a budget. We are merely a group of about 50 concerned neighbors. You are welcome to join us; please email jeanette.staley@vfca.edu.
The Humanity Network is a great introduction and illustration of Michelle, because it addresses so many of the reasons that Michelle is a representative for all of us. When I approached her about my concerns in the community, she asked what ideas I had for addressing it and then offered her assistance. She understands the importance of including community members in solutions and the arts as a tool of communication and community engagement. And, she is dedicated to the issues that promote equality within community: healthcare, voting rights, and economic and environmental justice. The Humanity Network encompasses all of these.
Michelle has been my neighbor for nearly 20 years. I have known her as a walker of the woods, a mother, a fierce advocate for the disenfranchised, and a curious reader.
I hope you will join me in supporting Michelle’s return to the state legislature by casting a vote for her in the general election this fall, Nov. 8, 2022. Her new district will be Windham-3, which includes all of Westminster, Rockingham, and Brookline
Sincerely,
Jeanette Staley,
Westminster, Vt.