Letter: Writer mischaracterized statement

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Editor,

In response to a letter I submitted, “Democrats have failed in Gerrymandering,” Mr. Freed claims I referred to the Voting Rights Act as a “pathetic capitulation harking back to Jim Crow.” At no point in my letter did I reference or allude to the Voting Rights Act.

My Jim Crow remark was a lamentation resulting from the Supreme Court 2023 ruling Students for Fair Admissions Inc. (SFFA) v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and SFFA v. University of North Carolina, striking down the use of race-conscious affirmative action in college admissions across the country, establishing a foundation from which to apply the construct across the social, economic and political spectrum of American society.

As for Mr. Freed’s misogynistic accusation that my “panties are in a bunch,” I can only lament that he feels justified demeaning civil discourse with such unfortunate verbiage.

Jack Gribble

Oak Harbor