Malverne students' history project, Empire Wind plan
Foundations for wind turbines for the Empire Wind project off Long Island. Credit: Tom Lambui
Fifth-graders seek to record history
Kudos to the Malverne fifth-graders who are leading the effort to landmark the first school to desegregate in New York [“Students inspired by MLK’s visit help memorialize first desegregated school,” News, May 13].
Adults could take a lesson from these young people who are doing the work of citizens: contacting lawmakers and civic organizations and following up with emails and phone calls to garner support for their worthy cause of contributing to the historical record.
At a time when the president signs executive orders to erase aspects of our history, these 10-year-olds are trying to enshrine the struggles of families and civil rights leaders who worked for racial equality in their community.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
As we mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, let’s honor our nation’s history by acknowledging the injustice born of slavery, segregation, and disenfranchisement and then tell the stories of those who fought — and continue to fight — to eradicate such injustice. These elementary school students, in their quest to preserve civil rights history, have themselves become a part of that history.
— Andrea Libresco, Mineola
Good news on wind energy project
At last, some good news on energy. [“Turbines on way for wind power,” News, May 12] To paraphrase climate leader Bill McKibben, wind power doesn’t have to go through the Strait of Hormuz — nor do the Empire Wind turbines themselves or the ships transporting them. The South Brooklyn Marine Terminal is the staging ground for the project.
Wind and solar should be giving Americans the energy security and affordability we need in the 21st century, but oil and gas companies are still holding us hostage. I wish that Gov. Hochul had not bought the argument that New York’s climate law is too expensive to implement on time. Slowing it down is already keeping energy prices stuck in the Strait of Hormuz.
— Stephanie Doba, Sag Harbor
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