NEW YORK – Have some down time ahead of tonight’s debate? The Not Who We Are campaign has some reading materials for you. In recent days, a wide variety of ordinary Americans from all backgrounds have used the Not Who We Are platform to organize their friends, neighbors and coworkers. By amplifying voices not traditionally heard in presidential campaigns, we are sending a powerful message that Donald Trump and his campaign are not who we are as a country.
Below, in their own words, are their reasons for standing up (as always, these are real quotes from real people who started real letters):
Bobbie Howell, creator of an open letter from disabled veterans: “I am a disabled veteran and the disrespect that Donald Trump has shown to veterans disgusts me. Donald Trump does NOT care about veterans at all. It’s important that veterans speak out and not allow this heartless man to ever see the Oval office.”
Janice Davison, creator of an open letter from teachers in Arizona: “This is important as a member of the Teachers of Arizona community, we need to vote for someone who has everyone's issues at heart. It is important for all teachers to recognize that name-calling and bullying are not the traits we want to see in our students or our leaders.”
Sarah Bottini, a student from the Rochester Institute of Technology: “We stand as RIT students to say that Donald Trump is not who we are. RIT values diversity and fosters an atmosphere of inclusion. We include 2,000 international students from 100 countries. We include 3,000 students of color. We include 1,200 deaf and hard of hearing students. We include students from all walks of life and we are proud to represent the pluralism and cross cultural collaboration that make this country great. Unfortunately, these values and commitments are not reflected in Donald Trump’s campaign. Instead, we see a campaign fueled on hateful rhetoric that seeks to divide us and pit us against one another. His words and actions stoke fear and encourage a racist fringe element. As RIT students, we say it is not what we stand for and it is not who we are.”
Not Who We Areis a movement of people from across the United States who are speaking their conscience by starting open letters as employees, professionals, students, and members of civic institutions to say that Donald Trump’s racially intolerant rhetoric and policies are “Not Who We Are.” The campaign features NotWhoWeAre.us, an innovative online platform that allows Americans who are disgusted by Trump’s attacks to sign an open letter or create a more targeted one of their own.
To learn more about Not Who We Are, follow us on twitter at @NotWhoWeAre or visit http://notwhoweare.us/.
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Paid for by Not Who We Are PAC and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.