Newsletter Subject
Lifting up voices who've experienced racism
From
danmccready.com
Email Address
info@danmccready.com
Sent On
Wed, Jul 1, 2020 05:14 PM
Email Preheader Text
Together, let's work toward the change that America so desperately needs. My hope is that, as the ne
HTML
Together, let's work toward the change that America so desperately needs.
[Dan McCready]
Dear {NAME},
As America continues its dialogue on race, racism, and white supremacy in the wake of George Floyd's murder, and many people who look like me seek to better understand America’s history of racial injustice, I want to share a story with you. Actually, a number of them.
I grew up privileged, with every opportunity a kid could ask for. I attended great public schools. My parents rarely worried about money. I never had to worry about the cops pulling me over without cause.
I'm embarrassed to say this now, but by the time I became a Marine, I thought America was moving beyond much of the racism in its past. In my platoon, we came from all backgrounds, and we didn't care about skin color. We all wore the same color uniform.
Not until Trump came along, harnessing the forces of bigotry, did I begin to see the privilege and naivety of my view. It was part of why I felt called to run for Congress, to fight for an American ideal that my parents taught me to love, that everyone should have an equal shot.
It was then, as I began what became two years of campaigning in Black communities east of Charlotte, that I began to see this truth: racism permeates every part of our systems, institutions, and society.
I’d known before that schools were segregated, but now I found myself in rural areas where half of kids were stuck in poverty, where health care access was inadequate. In George Floyd's hometown, Fayetteville, a Black church had to post security guards. Downtown Fayetteville was even overlooked by an old slave auction site, as if to say, white supremacy will never end.
Over the years, through racial gerrymandering, politicians had suppressed the political power of Fayetteville’s Black community. They carved Black neighborhoods right out of the district. This was just one way politicians who promised to help tried instead to prevent change.
Meanwhile, down the road in Bladen County, my opponent's campaign was actually stealing the ballots of people of color! The fraud had gone on for years. But until a few of us fought back, few seemed to care. Most saw these communities as disposable. Let me tell you, they're not.
Here's why I'm writing this. Because — and this is for the other white people still reading — I want you to know what I've learned, what I’m still very much learning, what Black people have always known: all of this comes down to systemic racism.â¬
Since George Floyd's murder, I've been heartened that so many white people have opened their eyes to racial injustice. If you're one of those people, I wish you could have been with me in these towns and churches to hear directly from people how racism has hurt them.
Since that's not possible, I’m trying something different. I asked a few people from the district to share their reflections on racism. Over the last two weeks, I’ve been posting their videos to my social media, unedited.
[Click here to see their stories.](
[(
My hope is that, as the news cycle moves on from George Floyd, these videos will serve as a reminder to stay engaged. I know they’ll move you, as they have me.
I’ll post more videos this week. [Take a few minutes to watch one of them today, and then check back later this week for more.](
Together, let’s work toward the change that America so desperately needs.
Yours in this fight,
Dan
---------------------------------------------------------------
Paid for by McCready for Congress
Dan McCready is a former member of the United States Marines. Use of his military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Marines or the Department of Defense. This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Click [here]( if you'd like to unsubscribe. We try to send only the most important information and opportunities to participate via email.
EDM Keywords (116)
years
writing
worry
wore
wish
week
want
wake
voices
view
videos
unsubscribe
uniform
try
towns
today
time
tell
suppressed
stuck
story
stories
still
society
since
share
serve
sent
send
segregated
seemed
seek
see
schools
say
saw
run
road
reminder
reflections
racism
promised
privileged
privilege
poverty
posting
post
possible
platoon
photographs
people
past
part
opportunities
opponent
opened
one
number
never
naivety
murder
move
money
minutes
mccready
marines
marine
love
like
lifting
learned
known
know
kids
inadequate
hurt
hope
history
heartened
half
grew
gone
fraud
found
forces
fight
fayetteville
eyes
everyone
embarrassed
email
district
dialogue
department
defense
could
congress
communities
comes
color
click
churches
charlotte
change
care
campaigning
campaign
came
bigotry
begin
began
became
ballots
backgrounds
asked
america
actually