Resolution on Racism

Whereas, The United States of America has a 400 year history of racial inequity coming from the enslavement of Africans by slave traders, early settlers and property owners; and,

Whereas, within the living Declaration of Independence, The Founders regarded created equality as a self-evident truth and life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as inalienable; and,

Whereas, even the American Civil War, fought on the basis of opposition to slavery in the face of the dependence of slave states on the labor of enslaved people for the success of that era’s economy, was won by the Union Army in order to change the status of the enslaved and,

Whereas, efforts brought by the Reconstruction Era promised land and the ability to gain from the efforts of their own labor for their own families and to participate in the full promise of America; and,

Whereas, those were undermined by the states and even if freed, the descendants of slavery were unable to benefit either from land ownership or the ability to participate in democratic elections; and,

Whereas, the benefits accorded to white Americans have continued and the disenfranchisement and economic oppression of Africa Americans has continued through the ensuing years due to expressions of white supremacy, stifling Jim Crow laws and inherited privilege based on racial identity; and,

Whereas, racism in overt and subversive forms, white nationalism, hate groups and inherited privilege continue to flourish in this country intent on oppressing people based on race, religion, and ethnicity; and

Whereas, past and recent incidents of police brutality and militaristic controls have ignited public opinion and resulted in demonstrations across America; and,

Whereas, the Clatsop County Democratic Central Committee wishes to condemn this racism in all of its forms and support communities of color, representatives of Black Lives Matter, LatinX communities and all groups who are targets of white supremacists and nationalists;

Therefore, let it be resolved: that the Clatsop County Democratic Central Committee condemns racism in all of its overt and subversive forms, and condemn all expressions of inherited privilege based on race, expressions of white supremacy, and white nationalism. We resolve to act to limit the actions of groups intent on harming those in our community. We further resolve to work to support efforts to include and expand diversity and promote advocacy for all residents of Clatsop County, no matter their ethnic, racial or national background.