To the Editor:
Re “With Walkouts, N.B.A. Players Jolt Pro Sports” (front page, Aug. 28):
I completely understand and support the professional athletes who are expressing their outrage against systemic racism in response to the recent police shooting of a Black man in Kenosha, Wis.
The Times has reported that LeBron James has helped establish a group called “More Than a Vote” to protect the voting rights of African-Americans and encourage them to register. I would strongly urge other high-profile athletes to take concrete steps to address voting inequities, such as setting up voter registration venues in minority neighborhoods.
The sight of revered athletes such as Mr. James appearing at voter education and registration tables assisting ordinary people in these areas would do much to inspire those who have been most affected by wrongful police action to express their indignation at the ballot box in the pivotal upcoming elections. The rightful outrage expressed by the athletes will be addressed only when politicians are held accountable by the electorate.
Dean R. Brown
Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.
To the Editor:
Re “G.O.P. Warnings of Chaos Resound in Wisconsin” (front page, Aug. 27):
Does anyone believe that if those were Black men carrying assault rifles at the protests in Kenosha, or anywhere else in the U.S.A., the police would be tossing them bottles of water and thanking them for support? At the very least, they would be arrested. There is no more stark picture of white privilege than the display and use of deadly weapons at a protest.
Ed Murphy
Minneapolis
To the Editor:
In 2016 Donald Trump won Kenosha County, Wisconsin, by fewer than 250 votes. Now, in the face of violent protests, many people in Kenosha are leaning toward re-electing Mr. Trump. Does it ever occur to them that the protests and the violence are symptoms of what has happened since he took office?
What’s happening in Kenosha has happened elsewhere and it will happen again and again in Mr. Trump’s America and on Mr. Trump’s account. Give credit where credit is due.
Judith Lessow-Hurley
San Jose, Calif.
Christians, of Every Stripe
To the Editor:
In “What Went Wrong at Liberty University” (Op-Ed, Aug. 27), Kaitlyn Schiess says Liberty University is “arguably the most prominent example of Christian higher education in America.” This claim uses the word “Christian” in a way that has become sadly familiar: to refer only to conservative, evangelical Protestantism.
Laying exclusive claim to a term that describes many millions of Christians who are neither evangelical nor Protestant is a linguistic power play that should not be indulged in by a writer critical of mixing religion with political power.
To the Editor:
In “Reversing Course on the Environment” (editorial, Aug. 23), you pointed out that environmental issues are important for many of us in the 2020 presidential election. At the top of the list is the need to address the nation’s drinking water crisis.
As the leader of an organization that advocates for the health of the Great Lakes and for the region’s 30 million residents, I see communities surrounded by freshwater that lack safe drinking water in their own homes because of lead contamination, toxic chemicals, harmful algae blooms and other serious threats.
These threats are not confined to Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and other Great Lakes states. They are national in scope. And they disproportionately affect low-income communities and communities of color. We need to address these problems now, because the longer we wait, the harder and more expensive they will be to solve.
It’s time for President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden to explain what they will do to protect the Great Lakes, our drinking water, our public health and our communities.
Laura Rubin
Ann Arbor, Mich.
The writer is director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.
There’s Hope in Small Comforts
To the Editor:
Re “Enfold Yourself in Small Comforts,” by Margaret Renkl (Op-Ed Aug. 25):
A sun-baked, line-hung sheet is a world apart from a sheet pulled from a dryer, wadded up in a ball. And the weight of its dampness on the line pulls out the creases. Hanging them out matters, especially now. And Ms. Renkl’s husband is right to fix what he can.
And so it is with all the touching gestures she describes. They are humanity at its best, but also far more than the management of anxieties, important as that is. They are a measure of courage, an expression of hope for a better day and faith that it will come — that these sad days will be behind us and we can once again sing in harmony and reassure one another with a hug.
We will always look to the stars as Ms. Renkl recommends. And we will cling to hope as if our lives depended on it. They do.
Margaret McGirr
Greenwich, Conn.