Sen. Ossoff to the crowd gathered to combat hate: “This is Georgia”
Atlanta, Ga. — Today, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff addressed the “Stop Asian Hate” rally in Atlanta, thanking the crowd for coming together to honor and remember the lives lost, demand justice, and to build a community based upon our shared humanity and love for each other.
Following the tragic shootings in Atlanta this week, the march and rally brought people of all walks of life together to stand up against the shocking rise in violence and attacks against the AAPI community.
Sen. Ossoff stood alongside Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock in addressing the crowd and offering their support to Georgia’s AAPI community.
Click here to watch Sen. Ossoff’s remarks.
A transcript of Sen. Ossoff’s remarks are below:
“Good afternoon. I thank my brother, and my colleague, my friend, the Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock for his words of wisdom. I thank you all for gathering here in solidarity as we mourn and remember those who lost their lives, as we express our love and support for their families, as we express our love and support for our Asian American and Pacific Islander sisters and brothers.
“This is Georgia. All of us gathered here today in love, this is Georgia. Hatred and murder do not define us. We stand resiliently in defiance of hatred and murder. This is Georgia. This is love. This is compassion. This is the best of us, and this is what defines the people of our state and our nation, not those who kill, or scapegoat, or engage in racism, or hate speech, or hate crime. Thank you all for being here. Thank you all.
“Now, please join with us once again today and observe a moment of silence for those killed and their loved ones.
“And now let’s look into our hearts and ask ourselves what we must do to rid our community of the scourge of violence, to rid our community of the scourge of racism and misogyny, to recommit all of us as individuals, and we as a community, to defining our lives based upon our shared humanity and our love for each other. This is Georgia.
“We gathered here today to honor and remember those who lost their lives and to demand justice. Let us build a state and a nation where you can register to vote the same day as an election, but you cannot buy a weapon the same day you intend to kill.
“Let us build a state and a nation where no one lives in fear because of who they are, or where they or their family come from, or how they live their life. We are here gathered in love, blessings to all of you, gratitude to all of you. We move forward together. Thank you.”
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