In her letter, “Protest fans flames of separation,” (Aug. 12), Kathy Calkins ignores the history of political activism and racism in the United States. Protest was an essential element of securing independence from Britain as well as civil rights for black people, women, and other groups. It is a positive force to remedy injustice.

She wrongly asserts “when we see each other as different we are all racists.” Our differing ethnicities, religious beliefs or lack of belief, genders, political views, social classes, abilities and disabilities, mold our identities. Rather than ignore or deny our differences, we should affirm them, and proceed with sense of justice and a knowledge of history.

Furthermore, all people cannot be racist. We all can be prejudiced. But racism is prejudice with institutional power to deny civil rights, access to resources, and safety. American history details hundreds of years of various forms of racism, of black lives not mattering, starting with slavery, continuing with Jim Crow Laws, persisting to this day.

Discrimination is not a feeling it is an action. And that action has resulted in a political reaction to remedy racial injustice.

Yes, all lives matter. So far, in America white lives have mattered more.

Nicolo Festa

New London