I am deeply disappointed in my colleague, Sen. Sam Douglass. I say that not as a political rival, but as someone who once worked side by side with him — on legislation, on the Institutions Committee, and, most importantly, as a friend.
What makes this so painful is not only what was said, but who said it. As one of only two African Americans currently serving in the Vermont Senate — and one of only four in our state’s history — I have long believed that our shared work could transcend party and background. I saw in Sam one of the youngest and most promising members of the Senate, someone who represented the future of the Republican Party: energetic, engaged and eager to serve.
That is why his recent comments were not only offensive, but profoundly sad. Words matter. They shape how people see each other and, in moments like this, they reveal how far we still have to go.
I appreciate that Republican leadership — from the governor to the minority leaders in both the House and Senate — spoke out clearly and swiftly. Their response sent an important message that hateful speech has no place in Vermont politics, or anywhere in our public life.
But condemnation is only the first step. We must be honest with ourselves: this kind of rhetoric continues to surface, time and again. It is not isolated, and it is not harmless. Words like these carry real consequences. During my own campaign, I received a racist death threat. That experience taught me, in the most personal way possible, that hate is not abstract — it endangers real people, real families, real communities.
It’s time for all of us — especially those within the Republican Party — to look inward. To ask hard questions about what kind of politics we want to stand for, and what kind of future we want to build. We must do the work to ensure that decency, respect and inclusion are not slogans, but the standards to which we hold ourselves and each other.
Vermont has always prided itself on being a place of civility, compassion, and community. Let’s live up to that ideal — not just in our words, but in our actions.