Increased Attacks on Communities of Color Are Unacceptable
Washington – Last night in Cleveland, Donald Trump delivered remarks accepting his nomination. Unfortunately, some of his words offered disconcertingly misleading rhetoric involving communities of color and the fight for justice. In response to Trump’s remarks, Judith Browne Dianis, Executive Director of Advancement Project’s Washington office, released the following statement:
“When Donald Trump and his followers say ‘Make America great again,’ many of them hear a call for a return to a time when people of color had less rights and a smaller voice. While this rhetoric may well stem from political strategy, they come with potentially dangerous consequences in the real world.
“The speech lends itself to be interpreted as isolating and scapegoating of communities of color. It is concerning that, for some people, the ills to which Donald Trump pointed may be interpreted as caused by communities of color, rather than by a corrosive system where people of color have been terrorized and brutalized for centuries. Not once were the names and stories of people like Philando Castille and Alton Sterling mentioned. Also excluded was Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy gunned down by police as he played in a park in Cleveland.
“Given the state of the country, division and exclusion is hardly what the times call for. Communities of color are organized and demand justice – from a stop to the deportation machine that splits families apart to an end to the police violence and brutality that has plagued communities of color for too long.
“Advancement Project and its allies will continue to spotlight police violence, push for immigrant justice, and build more power in communities of color. We are encouraging people to pay close attention to the words of the candidates and make up their minds regarding which candidate best represents their interests and act accordingly.
“The words in last night’s speech surprise no one. But they underscore that the vision laid out is one that depends on diminishing the voices of people of color and exciting the far-right at our expense. The movement is too organized, too energized, and too determined to stand by quietly while our communities are attacked.”
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Advancement Project is a multi-racial civil rights organization. Founded by a team of veteran civil rights lawyers in 1999, Advancement Project was created to develop and inspire community-based solutions based on the same high quality legal analysis and public education campaigns that produced the landmark civil rights victories of earlier eras.
