Letter to the editor: In defense of Michele Leonard

On Oct. 29, The Herald published a letter to the editor by a Mr. English from Murrysville, where he proceeded to attack a woman by the name of Michele Leonard. Why was he attacking Ms. Leonard? Because she is a Native American woman who has been tirelessly working to rid her community of the word “squaw.” 

For decades, Ms. Leonard has been educating the community and beyond about how the word squaw is offensive. Her theory is that once you are aware of where it comes from, why it’s offensive and who it offends, then by refusing to remove the word from streets, parks, waterways, etc., someone is now unable to claim ignorance. Instead, they are showing their lack of compassion to a minority group that has more than suffered.

The word is hurtful. Full stop.

I would hope that in 2020 we can take the time to truly hear each other’s stories and learn from them — not ignore and shame them and shout that they are wrong. From the word go, Native Americans have been demeaned and belittled, and now a woman is staking her personal safety and reputation to fight this.

Why does this hurt you, Mr. English? To tell a historically repressed minority group to essentially suck it up because this is a paperwork nightmare is incredibly offensive, dismissive and tone-deaf.

I would hope that you would retract your previous statements and issue an apology to Ms. Leonard, but I won’t hold my breath. Taking time out of your day to write a letter to the editor to attack a woman tells me that your character isn’t one to admit when they’re wrong.

Cassie Conti

Indiana Township