HARRISBURG – Governor Tom Wolf issued a statement condemning the hatred and bigotry of white supremacists demonstrated in the Charlottesville, Virginia rally this past weekend in a release issued Monday.
The statement, in full, reads:
“Let’s be clear: white nationalists are racists and the hateful beliefs that these groups espouse are un-American. In America, no one group is supreme – but rather we are equal – no matter our race, gender or religion. The white supremacy rally in Charlottesville does not reflect the values we hold as Pennsylvanians or as Americans. America will always be a nation built by people of diverse backgrounds united by shared rights and freedoms – and we are stronger for it.”
The members of Governor Tom Wolf’s advisory commissions and the Pennsylvania Commission for Women represent communities that know all too well the experience of oppression and racism – from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, to Jim Crow laws, to women not having the right to own property or to vote, to Japanese incarceration during WWII, to discrimination faced by our LGBTQ+ communities, to our Muslim communities experiencing Islamophobia and our immigrant and refugee communities experiencing xenophobia and discrimination, our nation has had more than its share of racism and oppression. But, our differences are our strengths as a country and a commonwealth, and have made Pennsylvania a desirable place for people from all walks of life to live and work. Our diverse views, cultures, religions, and shared life experiences contribute to the creation of this melting pot we call home.”
