I send my condolences to those killed in the violence, and to the state troopers who perished while in the line of duty trying to keep others safe. Below is my statement on the events in Charlottesville on Saturday, August 12. I’ve shared the video link as well.
For those of you who know my story, you know I was raised in Maine. While racism exists everywhere in various forms, it was never something that really stood out to me as a kid. I remember in 2008, when I was able to vote in my first election for Barack Obama, thinking that the world was really going to be a different place moving forward. I remember all the talk about a “post-racial” America. We had just elected out first black president, so America had to have moved on from its rock past. Right?
That idea was shattered almost immediately. With the rise of the racist and Donald Trump-led birther movement, and an organized attempt to besmirch and undermine Barack Obama at every turn, I realized that a problem that was always bubbling under the surface was ready to explode to the forefront. Fast forward a bit and along came Donald Trump’s candidacy, and now his presidency.
Someone very close to me asked why race relations were so bad at the end of the Obama administration. I responded that the confluence of having our first black president, the prevalence of unarmed minorities being shot and killed on camera, and the rise in anti-immigrant sentiment and rhetoric, deeply divided the nation. Images of domestic terrorist such as Dylan Roof being apprehended, fed, and then ushered in a police station alive after massacring nine innocent, black churchgoers, contrasted sharply with the images of Eric Garner being choked to death for being in possession of contraband cigarettes.
These discrepancies brought race relations in our country to a boiling point. Donald Trump used the burgeoning racist, white supremacist movement as a vehicle to carry him to the presidency. In doing that, he made many more voters and supporters complicit in his divisive and bigoted actions. David Duke, a former KKK Grand Wizard and prominent Trump supporter said today in Charlottesville that the gathering of neo-Nazis and white supremacists pointed to a future of fulfillment of President Donald Trump’s promises.
Every day during my commute I pass a large confederate flag flying over the interstate. I’m told that the flag represents states’ rights. That it represents the heritage of people who fought for what they believe in. I reject both of those notions outright.
The confederate flag, statues of confederate generals, and people marching at night with torches, reminiscent of klan rally, represent hatred, racism, and most importantly white supremacy. As a Virginian by choice, not chance, I embrace the people of the commonwealth, its rich and diverse culture, but I wholeheartedly reject the actions of those people who wish to divide and marginalize along lines of race, both past and president, and will stand and fight against it every day.
The events in Charlottesville show us how far we still have to go as a country. Pictures of confederate flag waving marchers, in lock step with their Nazi flag waving brethren, are a striking symbol of what’s at stake for our country. If your flag and Nazi flag are interchangeable, there is a massive issue with what you choose to represent and it must be addressed.
I am so proud of our brothers and sisters who are putting themselves in harms way to stand against this domestic terrorism, and applaud their peaceful efforts to make it known that racism, bigotry, and white supremacy are antithetical to the values of what it means to be a Virginian, and most importantly, and American.
Virginia CD 1 - Edwin Santana
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