Friend,

I was a sophomore in high school when my biology teacher stopped her lesson during our third period class and turned on the news. I will never forget that day, as we all sat in silence and watched the Twin Towers fall on September 11, 2001. 

This past Saturday, I spent the day  with my family — twenty of us enjoying the day together, getting relief from this record-breaking heat with water balloons and a splash pad in my in-laws’ backyard. When the news of the assassination attempt broke, my sister-in-law turned to my son and said, you’ll never forget where you were at this moment. 

September 11 and the subsequent US invasion of Iraq, was a politicizing moment for me. I was bearing witness to the violent, racist, and Islamophobic rhetoric I heard on the news from my classmates, my friends, and even some of my family. It was one of many moments in my life as a Pennsylvanian that shaped my worldview. 

As a Pennsylvanian, I condemn violence in all its forms — political and otherwise. 

I condemn the political violence of our war economy. I condemn the political violence of poverty in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. I condemn the political violence of our families not having safe homes or clean air or water. I condemn political violence against queer and trans Pennsylvanians. I condemn political violence against Black and brown students in Pennsylvania who are more likely to be met with handcuffs than guidance counselors in their schools.

I condemn the political violence Donald Trump committed against migrating families and Muslims during his presidency. I condemn the political violence he fostered during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as hate crimes rose against Asian Americans. I condemn the political violence Trump incited when he fomented insurrection on January 6. I condemn the political violence with every heinous ruling coming out of Trump’s Supreme Court. 

I condemn the political violence on Saturday at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — just as I condemn the political violence that’s led to guns being a leading cause of death for our children. 

I condemn violence in all its forms. And I condemn the rich and powerful in this country who — through a highly resourced and militant strategy of dividing poor and working people by race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and political ideology over five decades — have created the conditions for so much violence. 

Friend, as you read this email, Trump and his MAGA sycophants, enabled by corporations and billionaires, are at the Republican National Convention gearing up to rally their party around their vision of the future: Project 2025 — their plot to take over the federal government and to advocate for its “rule of law” crackdown on opponents, including using our military against us. 

We believe in our vision of the future, Friend: Where we can realize a people’s economy and society — a place where all of us, all genders, races, and backgrounds, can thrive. Where corporations and billionaires pay the taxes they owe rather than undermining our democracy. Where we put people and our planet first rather than profits for a few. Where we’ve blocked authoritarianism and built the power we need to realize a Pennsylvania that works for all of us — and where political violence isn’t the reality for any of us. 

We believe organizing is the path to the change we want, and it’s up to us to choose between these two futures. 

In community,

Carrie Santoro, Executive Director of Pennsylvania Stands Up