Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Vermont Governor Apologizes On Behalf Of His State After Incident Involving Black Family With Out-Of-State License Plate

Vermont Governor Apologizes On Behalf Of His State After Incident Involving Black Family With Out-Of-State License Plate
Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images

Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images

The existence of racial bias in the United States has been well established by statistics kept by the FBI and the Justice Department.

People of color are more likely to be viewed as suspicious, stopped, questioned, confronted, detained, charged, convicted, imprisoned and killed when engaged in identical activities as their White counterparts.


An incident in Vermont is drawing a spotlight on racial bias once again.

Law enforcement and media coverage are two areas where racial bias can be easily identified, studied and documented.

In daily life, the proof is harder to display for people who insist there is no bias and that racism doesn't exist. Even when a black jogger is chased and killed, some people will insist race was not a factor.

Such people see news articles or even videos about incidents of racial bias and decry them as fake news.





Despite people who insist it can't be true, the incident prompted Republican Governor Phil Scott to issue an apology "on behalf of the state of Vermont" to a family from Hartford, Vermont after they were harassed while driving a car with New York license plates and told "the governor did not want them [in Vermont]."

Governor Scott said:

"And … they were, amongst other things, told they were not welcome here and that the governor did not want them here either. And sadly this happened in front of their 11-year-old child."
"Even more disturbing was the racial undertone used during this exchange with the individual, who is a person of color."
"So let me be very clear: This is not acceptable and it can't be tolerated and there's no excuse for it."

Scott clarified that he asked people with family in Vermont or with second homes in the state should not violate stay at home orders to try to come to Vermont.



Scott added Vermonters should welcome everyone, however.

"This virus cannot be used as an excuse for hate, bigotry or division of any type for any reason. We cannot let this become an us-versus-them situation, and I want to make sure everyone hears that."


In March, the governor said:

"We can't let this become an us-versus them view of the world."
"That's not who we are as Americans and certainly not as Vermonters, and we shouldn't let anything change that."

Scott's more recent comments were to:

"[Clear up] any misconception about my views, because my name was inferred in [the incident]."

Governor Scott also took to his Twitter account to address the need for civility.








Vermont State Police are investigating the harassment of the family. They are Vermont residents, but still drive a car with New York license plates.

Many state Bureau of Motor Vehicle offices are closed across the country. Each state is handling the issuing of and renewal of licenses, license plates and vehicle registrations in different ways.

The book Race on the Brain: What Implicit Bias Gets Wrong About the Struggle for Racial Justice is available here.

More from Trending

Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa
Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for SiriusXM; Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa

Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett pointed out President Donald Trump's hypocrisy on immigration considering how First Lady Melania Trump's pathway to citizenship was possible because she received an "Einstein visa," which is usually reserved for an individual with "some sort of significant achievement."

Speaking during a House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Restoring Integrity and Security to the Visa Process,” Crockett noted that “the idea that Trump and my Republican colleagues want to restore integrity and security in the visa process is actually a joke," and harshly criticized the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and visa restrictions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Jennifer Griffin and Pete Hegseth
The Hill

Fox Host Comes To Reporter's Defense After Pete Hegseth Berates Her At Pentagon Briefing

Fox News' chief political analyst Brit Hume came to the defense of Fox national security reporter Jennifer Griffin after their former colleague, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, criticized Griffin as the reporter "who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says” in a Pentagon news conference.

Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor, had criticized media outlets—including his former network—for what he described as unpatriotic reporting. Hegseth took particular aim at early intelligence assessments suggesting that President Donald Trump's bombing of Iran may not have significantly crippled Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Keep ReadingShow less

Teachers Share The Questions Students Asked In Class That Broke Their Hearts

Being a teacher is a calling.

It is not for the meek or weak of heart.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Emily Compagno
Fox News

Fox Host Slams Dem For Dropping An F-Bomb After Praising Trump For The Same Thing Just Minutes Earlier

Fox News host Emily Compagno was criticized after she praised Donald Trump's use of the "f-bomb" earlier this week before condemning Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett's use of the same word—on the same episode of her show, no less.

Trump made headlines this week after admonishing Israel and Iran for violating a ceasefire agreement he'd announced on Truth Social. Although he claimed the ceasefire had been "agreed upon," Iran fired at least six missile barrages at Israel after it was supposed to take effect.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ken Jennings; Emily Croke
@Jeopardy/Instagram

Champ's Wild Final Jeopardy Connection

In a dramatic conclusion on last Monday’s Jeopardy!, a contestant revealed a surprising relationship to the final clue's answer. Hailing from Denver, Emily Croke made it to the final write-in portion of the game show with $12,200 in earnings.

In the category of “Collections,” host Ken Jennings read the clue:

Keep ReadingShow less