He said that Downriver needs “Someone who is the demographics of my district” [sic] as their voice in Lansing. 

 

I’d like to believe that my opponent didn’t mean much by this comment. But we know better. And he should, too. Especially since he works as a police officer in a majority Black and Latino city. 

 

I’m a Michigander who comes from a family of Maltese immigrants and Mexican-Americans. Kburi li jien Malti. Orgulloso de ser Latino. Proud to be American. 

 

Like many of our neighbors, I’m also the son and grandson of UAW autoworkers. My grandpa Manuel retired from Woodhaven Stamping and my Dad is a machinist at Ford in Dearborn. 

 

Downriver is full of people striving and achieving the American Dream — and I was the first in my family to graduate college. 

 

We’re home to thousands of educators serving in school districts across southeast Michigan—prior to my election, I taught high school social studies.

 

I am the product of this place, an area and a community that I love deeply and hope to raise my future family in. 

 

And to be clear: Families like mine are moving to Downriver more and more. Brownstown is the fastest growing community in Wayne County. Thousands of Black, Latino, Arab, Asian and multiracial families are moving here to find better opportunities and achieve their American Dream. Immigrants have been here since the auto plants were built Downriver. And Native American families have been here from the beginning. We’re the "demographics of this district," too. And we’re here to stay. 

 

This is not the first time we’ve been subject to dog-whistle racism like this. We saw it in 2016 from one of my Democratic primary opponents and from the GOP, who were trying to beat us because of our support for Black Lives Matter. Times sure have changed. Their attacks didn’t work then, and we can’t let them work now. 

 

We’ve got a tough fight ahead of us, and we’re not going to let our opponent’s small-minded comments get in our way. 

 

So much of the conversation in the wake of George Floyd’s death is not just about making reforms to policing, but also recommitting ourselves to be mindfully and intentionally anti-racist in our day to day work for our community. 

 

We all have work to do to get there. I hope you’ll join us so we can keep this seat and lift up the voices of everyone who calls Downriver home.