2020-02-10 The New Yorker

few friends believed her account of

what had occurred; everyone else de-

fended her violent attacker or simply

refused to accept the evidence.

As a young woman in high school,

I am told that I have more rights than

the women who came before me.

Smith’s story, however, makes me think

otherwise.

Talia Winiarsky

New York City

1

LAND OF OPPORTUNITY?

Louis Menand, in his informative piece

on affirmative action, might have added

that, for centuries, the United States

has had something akin to affirmative

action for white people (Books, Janu-

ary 20th). As was highlighted on the

excellent podcast “Seeing White,” many

of these measures have had to do with

landownership. In 1618, the headright

system enticed Europeans to settle in

Virginia in exchange for land, and the

Homestead Act of 1862 provided land

in the West, benefitting whites dispro-

portionately. The story was not much

different in the mid-twentieth century.

For example, in the nineteen-thirties,

forties, and fifties, the Federal Hous-

ing Authority gave mortgage loans to

homeowners in predominantly white

communities; it is estimated that less

than two per cent of the loans went to

African-Americans. Menand closes his

piece by asking if white liberals “be-

lieve that there should be no sacrifice

to make or price to pay for the system-

atic damage done to the lives of mil-

lions of American citizens and the men

and women who are their ancestors.”

It is important for white people to un-

derstand that this damage happened

in more ways than many of us realize.

Harvey Teres

Syracuse, N.Y.

SURVIVING ABUSE

Brittany Smith’s case, as portrayed in
Elizabeth Flock’s powerful article
about abused women and the Stand
Your Ground defense, demonstrates
that, despite increased awareness of
gender-based violence, more work
must be done to address the public
perception of the problem (“A Vio-
lent Defense,” January 20th). It may
seem as if Smith’s case arose solely
out of a familiar cycle of violence and
impunity, and of women not report-
ing abuse. Yet, as Flock makes clear,
this seemingly simple cycle is in fact
a more complicated and nuanced phe-
nomenon, owing to the burying of
evidence. This can involve hiding the
abuser’s past behavior toward the sur-
vivor and others, and unfairly classi-
fying injuries from abuse. Flock’s os-
tensibly small observations reveal a
different story than we may be accus-
tomed to hearing.
In order to combat the prevailing
view of violence against women, we
must look more critically at isolated,
inept police bureaucracies; incompe-
tent defense attorneys; and a society
that pathologizes and punishes victims
of assault. I hope Flock’s article spurs
people not only to rally for justice for
Smith but also to push for structural
change, so that women are not unjustly
imprisoned for defending themselves
after being nearly killed.
Kathleen R. Arnold
Chicago, Ill.

In my U.S. history class, we discussed
Virginia’s recent vote to approve the
Equal Rights Amendment, which sym-
bolically provided the final ratification
needed to amend the Constitution. I
found this important historical mo-
ment jarring when considered along-
side Flock’s report, which made me feel
as though I were reading about a differ-
ent United States altogether. Alabama’s
law-enforcement and judicial systems
have failed Brittany Smith in every way.
After being raped, she was treated as
a perpetrator. Only her family and a

•

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of correspondence we cannot reply to every letter.

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Equestrian, 19th–20th century. Bamana peoples. MBougouni District. Private collection. ali, Ouassabo,

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