SCYD Passes Resolution Against Hate
Resolution Condemning Hate Groups and Depriving Them of Democratic Platform – From Spokane County Young Democrats
WHEREAS a hate group is defined by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as “an organization that – based on its official statements or principles, the statements of its leaders, or its activities – has beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics;”
WHEREAS The New York Times cited Eric Kaufmann, a professor at Birkbeck University of London on the intersection of ethnicity and politics, giving this definition of white nationalism: “the belief that national identity should be built around white ethnicity, and […] maintain both a demographic majority and dominance of the nation’s culture and public life;”
WHEREAS the Inland Northwest has historically been a hotbed of systemic racism and anti-indigenous colonialism, which has fueled white-identity extremism, separatism, and terroristic activity, requiring sustained community resistance as well as combat and dispersal by federal law enforcement;
WHEREAS groups such as Identity Evropa, Patriot Prayer, the Proud Boys, and others engage in campaigns of propaganda and harassment in support of white supremacy, white nationalism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, ableism, and ethnic and religious exclusion, including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia;
WHEREAS other groups, such as Northwest Grassroots and Respect Washington, offer normalizing platforms for these harmful movements and their attempts to undermine American values by directing US and Washington State policy toward oppression through force of law;
WHEREAS hate groups, and those that seek to normalize them, often use the presence of elected officials to legitimize their gatherings and by extension their propaganda; andWHEREAS the propaganda espoused by hate groups is antithetical to the Democratic values of diversity, inclusion, and a safe society for all;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the Snohomish County Young Democrats will honor local history of popular and political resistance to systemic oppression, xenophobia, and racism, and condemn white supremacy, white nationalism, and fascistic speech and violence in all its forms.
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Snohomish County Young Democrats will not offer a platform to any organization that espouses white nationalism, white supremacy, or other exclusionary philosophies that are counter to the American value that we are “e pluribus unum,” one people out of many places and cultures.
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Snohomish County Young Democrats ask our elected officials and community leaders to shun involvement with hate groups or organizations that offer platforms to white nationalists: to not join, support, or promote said organizations.
THEREFORE BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Snohomish County Young Democrats will share this resolution on the Snohomish County Young Democrats’ website and social media accounts, send a copy to all our Democratic or non-partisan endorsed elected officials, and share it with every candidate seeking endorsement from the Snohomish County Young Democrats
Signed: April 21st, 2019
Kevin Phan, Chair, Snohomish County Young Democrats.
Denisa Ruxandar, Vice Chair, Snohomish County Young Democrats
Carsten Glans, Vice Chair and Sergeant at Arms, Snohomish County Young Democrats.
Jessica Corbman, Treasurer, Snohomish County Young Democrats
Michael O’Gorman, Secretary, Snohomish County Young Democrats.
Christi Lewis, Young Democrats Liaison to the 1st Legislative District Democrats
Collin Carlson, Young Democrats Liaison to the 38th Legislative District Democrats
Louis Harris, Member, Snohomish County Young Democrats
