Annapolis, MD— On Monday, Maryland Democratic Party Chair Maya Rockeymoore Cummings issued a scathing statement in response to President Trump’s nakedly racist calls for U.S. Members of Congress to “go back” to where they came from. Congressman Andy Harris doubled down on Trump’s remarks, saying Monday that the tweets are “clearly not racist.”
Trump’s language closely mirrors the “go back to Africa” refrains used by white supremacists throughout modern U.S. history.
“The President’s language thrusts a dagger in the heart of our diverse democracy,” said Rockeymoore Cummings. “The President’s attack is a calculated strategy to energize his base who are clearly receptive to white nationalist arguments that reinforce the blasphemous notion that to be legitimately American is to be a white American.”
The tweets were directed at a group of freshman lawmakers including Rep. Rashida Talib, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Rep. Ilhan Omar; three of whom were born in the United States; one of whom became a naturalized U.S. citizen; and all of whom are women of color.
Approximately half of all Maryland residents are people of color. And the Maryland Democratic Party has always supported initiatives and legislation that celebrates our diversity while working to ameliorate historical inequities affecting groups that continue to be the target of discrimination in our society. Democrats remain committed to eliminating racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, xenophobia, ableism, misogyny, sexual assault, and other forms of bigotry.
For these reasons, the Chair is issuing a call for Maryland Republicans to join the Party in denouncing Trump’s racist tweets– including Rep. Andy Harris who has supported Trump’s statements.
“The residents of Maryland deserve to know that their elected officials aren’t in vocal or silent support of blatantly racist tweets coming from the White House. I call on Governor Hogan, Rep. Harris, and all other Maryland Republicans to join us in rejecting Trump’s hate speech. We may differ on issues of politics, but we must be united in our opposition to blatantly bigoted language meant to stoke racial resentment,” Rockeymoore Cummings said.
The Party values social and economic equity, fairness, and inclusion in all policy and political endeavors. As such, the Party adopted a new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative in February of this year to strengthen the values of inclusion within the party, as well as make party operatives more effective at serving the diverse communities of Maryland.
The Maryland Democratic Party’s new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative includes the following new directives:
- Making guidance on diversity, equity, and inclusion a mandatory component of all political trainings offered by the Maryland Democratic Party
- Integrating culturally appropriate materials and outreach into our year-round community engagement and mobilization strategy
- Implementing a diversity in hiring and contracting policy as a fundamental aspect of party operations
- Promoting dignity and respect for all human beings as a core value of the state party
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Photo: Courtesy of New York Times