Honor Black fighters on the Fourth

When we celebrate the Fourth of July’s Independence Day, let’s honor all who fought to achieve freedom.

Blacks represented 21% of people in the Colonies at that time. Patriots needed Blacks’ involvement in the fight to win the war. Blacks were promised freedom from slavery if they joined the fight for independence. The Black regiments were victorious in significant and the most dangerous battles that helped win the war. An all-Black company helped lead the Continental army in the final battle at Yorktown. Afterwards, the promise for freedom was broken and the fighters were re-enslaved.

On this Independence Day, let’s celebrate all who fought for our independence and honor the Blacks whose freedom was a long time coming. Our nation’s path to a more perfect union continues.

Sue Wilson / Ashland

Editor’s note: The previous letter has been updated to reflect the author’s original submission. A previous version published online had been edited.

Who is in charge?

I read two articles in the June 22 edition of the Times that have me wondering who is in charge?

The first was about the Downtown Medford Association spending $26,000 for a study of property owners for or against an economic district. Please tell me something else was “studied” for that amount of money! If not, I want to apply to administer the next study. I think I can do it for less.

Roughly 178 property owners said yea or nay to the district. Was this solicitation administered by mail? Phone call? Door-to-door questionnaire? Twenty-six thousand dollars is out of line for such a finding, whatever way it was done. Perhaps there was more to the study, and if so, the article should definitely have made that clear. Otherwise, someone has too much money to spend.

Second: The new multi-million dollar community swim complex (at barely six months in) is spending $75,000 to replace floors that are too slippery for the swim center. Seriously? How long have we had swimming pools, splash pads, showers, tubs, outdoor docks, hot tub decks, sidewalks, streets that get slippery when wet — and lawsuits? This is not new! There have been non-slip products out there for years. How did Rogue X and their contractors miss them?

The dumbing down of America is no joke — it’s happening right here!

Sheila Whitesitt / Medford