John, I spoke to a volunteer clean-up crew in Bellevue on Monday. While looking around at all the broken glass and storefronts, I reflected on the deep wounds of racism, white supremacy, and police brutality. Wounds that have driven the anguished cries for justice for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and all Black Americans across our country. These cries for justice are not new. I was born in Selma, Alabama. Just three years after I was born, police and armed posses attacked protestors crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge. But the resilience of those protestors and others across the country would bring down the oppressive Jim Crow laws -- and mark a milestone of love and nonviolence triumphing over hate. So we have a choice to make as Americans. We can allow President Trump to further divide us with hatred and failed leadership -- or we can come together to heal our country and our communities by fighting to end violence, injustice, and inequality. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, the "appalling silence of the good people" will be a stain on history. We can't remain neutral. We must condemn the vile actions of this president and those who seek to hijack the pain and suffering of Black Americans and other communities of color. So please, speak up when you see injustices. Donate to causes like the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Put down hate with unconditional love for all our neighbors. Fight for a "new normal," as President Obama challenged us to do. The challenges we face today are great. But together, we can keep fighting. Together, we can fix what seems broken beyond repair. Together, we can continue bending the arc toward justice and equality for all Americans. Thank you, Suzan PO Box 477, Kirkland, WA 98083
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