Political Quotes

“this November, my hometown of Portland marks a somber occasion: the 30th anniversary of the murder of Mulugeta Seraw, a 28-year-old Ethiopian college student, by racist skinheads. This horrific case galvanized the city, as well as the State of Oregon, to stand up to hate crimes and acts of violence by the neo-Nazi movement in the Pacific Northwest. While this brutal slaying happened 30 years ago, it remains fresh in the minds of many who lived through that time and for people who still experience discrimination and hate today. Mulugeta's path to our country mirrors those of so many others who came to America. He came to the United States seeking an education. A college student in Portland, he worked multiple jobs and remitted money to Ethiopia to support his son, Henock. Mulugeta, like many immigrants who come to America, was simply seeking opportunity. His family and friends describe him as a kind, hard- working man. He had friends and family whom he supported and loved. All this was ripped away by evil, cruel racism. As a result of the cruelty done to Mulugeta, community members, civil rights lawyers, judges, elected officials, and nonprofits came together and demanded justice be served. They succeeded. The case attracted national attention, and thanks in part to the great effort of the Southern Poverty Law Center, the White Aryan Resistance and its leaders who were behind this heinous crime were bankrupted and jailed.…”