This Land is Our Land: America’s Diversity is One of its Greatest Strengths, Especially in Congress.
In a tweet posted Sunday, July 14, the president suggested that several progressive Democratic congresswomen “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came” before they proceed with recommendations on how to fix America.
The group of congresswomen to which he can be assumed to be referencing, due to their recent dominance of the congressional news cycle, includes Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; and Rashida Tlaib D-Mich.
Of these women, only one, Rep. Omar, was born outside of this country. All of the women mentioned are citizens of the United States.
To dismiss the ideas of the people’s elected representatives based on their ethnicity or race is antithetical to the very core of America’s system of government. The House of Representatives is a system created to represent the great diversity of this country’s population. Claiming that these elected congresswomen should not be participating in governing discussions due to their race or ethnicity runs counter to America’s founding principles.
The president’s statement should not be entertained, tolerated or dismissed. Representatives, senators and other elected officials and public servants, regardless of party affiliation, need to address the concerning racist undertones of this remark and work to reaffirm America’s commitment to protect, respect and be a home to all of its citizens.
