Our nation is in anguish as we mourn the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many others who have died tragically and needlessly. The failures of the system designed to protect and serve our communities regardless of the color of someone’s skin must end. We can and must do better to ensure equality, equity, and equal treatment for all.
Through these trying times, we must come together as a nation, not tear ourselves apart. Protests are a right but they must remain peaceful. We must extinguish underlying biases and racism in our society, and we do that by taking the time to listen, understand, and respect each other. Unfortunately, we saw some protests turn violent. Violent riots will not solve the underlying issues, nor are they the best response to enact change. I applaud the actions of those police officers around the nation who have shown what it truly means to serve with compassion as they march with peaceful protestors, including marches with law enforcement in our own region. Many law enforcement officers around the nation do their jobs and serve our communities well, and I appreciate their dedication and service. But the message of these protests been clear: we cannot turn a blind eye to the actions of a bad few, and as a society, we must look inwardly and we must do better.
It is time for our nation to treat this open wound. Everyone from the local, state, and national levels must come together to achieve lasting change to stop the reoccurrence of these events. Let us not react to violence with violence. Let us instead address these atrocities with positive actions.
That is why I have created a working group on diversity, race, and equality issues to provide me with advice and counsel in bringing greater equality, equity, and opportunity to the First District, our Commonwealth, and our nation. Yesterday, I held the first meeting of my Unity in Diversity Council to offer solutions and action items to address economic, societal, and educational inequities in our region. Positive change starts with positive action. We must solve these deep seeded problems in our communities and work to be part of the solution, not the problem.
I look forward to working towards a brighter future in our Commonwealth. The road to recovery is not paved for us, we must work to build it ourselves. Our nation is better than the least among us; we have proven it time and again, and I know that we will come through these times stronger than ever.
