If I could go back to my senior year and turn things around, I would give a lot to be able to do so.
My birthday wish
There is one thing I would like for my birthday: for everyone to please stop calling each other names, and to please stop calling their political opponents names.
Thank you to Mr. Riviello for his reply (“Headed in the right direction,” September 18) to my letter (“Pay local workers better,” August 7). There are a few points that I would like to make in response, which are important to remember before the upcoming election.
I read Mr. Riviello’s letter to the editor (July 31 edition) and would like to make a few points. First, I agree with Mr. Riviello that we need to make equality of opportunity available to all people — regardless of their background, social class, skin color, religion, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, etc. However, I must respectfully disagree with Mr. Riviello on some issues.
Pay local workers better
The Wallingford-Swarthmore School District is kept afloat – economically and socially – by the casual workers who come into town every single day to serve the community. Many of the casual workers are paid by the hour, at a wage that is probably barely above the minimum wage in Pennsylvania, if that, and do not receive health care benefits. While we are in a pandemic, we have the chance to reconsider what the community can do to support the workers who keep the district and its businesses operational.
George Floyd, hourly workers, and Swarthmore
George Floyd’s death has brought racial intolerance and violence to the forefront of American attention, again. His death has ignited a national conversation on structural violence and racism. It should also ignite controversy over another issue that contributed to his vulnerability: his employment status. Floyd was a bouncer who was unable to work during the pandemic. He allegedly tried to pay at a grocery store using counterfeit money, and for that, if he did it, he lost his life. Thinking about the casual workers who come into Swarthmore every single day, I can’t help but wonder: What is keeping them afloat during the pandemic?