In her letter, Marcianne Waters discusses who she thinks should represent New Jersey’s third Congressional district.
The hatred and resulting violence in Charlottesville are terrible, deplorable and intolerable. We, as a community, a state and a country dedicated to brotherhood, equality and good will, cannot accept this.
So, why are those who represent us — those we’ve placed faith in to speak for us in steering our country — tacitly condoning this? President Donald Trump’s low approval ratings and his loss of the popular vote prove that he does not represent the majority of Americans. There’s not much we, as individuals, can do about that at the moment. But, we can look to our elected state officials to speak up and speak out against President Trump’s nod to white supremacists and neo-Nazis, regardless of their political party.
Representative Tom MacArthur decried racism and violence after President Trump’s “very fine people. . .blame on both sides” message but failed to call out the president himself. MacArthur failed to speak for me, for the third district and for the American people. If he cannot support those among us being persecuted, we cannot support him, and there is something we can do about that at the moment.
Voters in New Jersey’s third Congressional district, including most of Burlington and Ocean Counties, can support a candidate to replace MacArthur in next year’s election.
I have chosen to be active and join the fight against intolerance. I researched the candidates, and I chosen to donate my time to volunteer for Katherine Hartman. Unlike MacArthur, Katherine Hartman was born here, raised her children here, lives and works here still. As an attorney, she has specialized in fighting inequality and discrimination in all forms. In the 20 years I have known her, personally and professionally, I’ve experienced her honesty, sincerity and passion in battling injustice.
Katherine Hartman is truly representative of our district, our state and our country. Why should we continue to support a congressman who doesn’t support our neighbors in the face of injustice?
Marcianne Waters
