I'm so glad you pointed this out Dale. Having been spit on for holding a protest sign against the Patriot Act during the Bush administration in Clallam County, 2020's election results gave me some hope. I agree that there are some brave people and organizing groups working to improve things. Because like most of the US, the Olympic Peninsula is steeped in white supremacy, so it's not a unique problem only impacting Sequim, Forks, or Port Angeles. The isolation of the region also contributes to entrenching the status quo, especially in a region that has historically relied on over harvesting resources. Someday I hope to write a tragicomic piece about the remote logging competition near Forks that I accidentally attended as a teenager, wearing a SAVE THE TREES t-shirt (my friend had invited me and told me it was a Johnny Cash memorial party).

In other words, I'm hopeful. Because I definitely don't want racism and QAnon to overshadow or destroy the beauty of the Olympic Peninsula.