Former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, the first entrant to follow Donald Trump into the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, stated in her campaign kickoff speech that the United States is not a racist country and that we should stop our “self-loathing” (“Nikki Haley kicks off 2024 presidential run drawing implicit contrasts with Trump,” Feb. 16).
I wonder if she followed the young indoctrinated white supremacist killer of ten Black Buffalo, New York, supermarket shoppers and employees .... the South Carolina slaughter of nine Black Bible study participants ...the El Paso Walmart massacre of 23 people who were targeted because they were Hispanic ... the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue murders of 11 individuals peacefully at worship?
It may be overly broad to say that the United States is a racist country, but it is undeniable that there are strong racist undercurrents within it to this day. Laws have been enacted with the goal of ending discrimination against minorities, but no law can change hearts and minds. The problem grows when our leaders open the door to bigots and haters of all stripes, mainstreaming their deviance.
Oren Spiegler
Peters Township
First Published: February 23, 2023, 5:00 a.m.