Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey,
Where wealth accumulates, and men decay:
Princes and lords may flourish, or may fade;
A breath can make them, as a breath has made;
But a bold peasantry, their country's pride,
When once destroyed, can never be supplied.
These haunting lines are part of a powerful poem, written in 1770 by the Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith. They are as true today as they were then.
The horrific murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery and the aftermath of what we are now living through lies heavy in my heart and it is the phrase “Ill fares the land,” that I keep returning to. So much has been wrong for a very long time.
I am an attorney, so my mind turns swiftly to justice. But I am more specifically an education attorney whose career has been devoted to fighting for equal and appropriate education for all children. Hate is taught but so is humanism. I am also a parent and grandparent; I serve on the board of a school; and I am a trustee at a historical museum. So, yes, I first think justice, but I choose to battle ignorance by wielding humanity’s most powerful weapon: Education.
There is a relevant, age-old Talmudic debate: ‘Which is more important: study or action?” Rabbi Akiva tells us that study is more important, because it leads to action. Action without study is action without purpose or direction. When we reach for social justice, it is what we have learned that helps us to draw the outline of our collective obligations and to chart a useful path forward.
Ill fares the land, indeed—so how, practically, do I and each one of us go about educating our children so that they will grow to curb the disease of racism and other forms of bigotry and hatred that plague our land?
My parents are both Holocaust survivors, the victims of unbridled racism and bigotry. As a result, for over two decades I have been actively involved at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, where since 2016 I have been a trustee. Our museum is a teaching institution that has a unique moral obligation to stand with the victims of bias and racism. I am proud to be associated with the statement the museum released in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. I firmly believe that we must all take a stand.
On Sunday, June 14th, at 2 pm the Museum will co-host a free, virtual concert-style program entitled: WE ARE HERE: A Celebration of Resilience, Resistance and Hope. I hope that all of your will watch this star-studded event with your children. I am proud that my law firm is a sponsor. A recording of the event will be made available on the museum’s website if you are unable to make it live. Please share this email with your community so that all may attend.
Be well, be safe…
-Regina Skyer