Congress must help end our inequality

I was in shock after the events that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white supremacists and neo-Nazis marching with torches in their hands screaming racist chants. My mind couldn’t process what my eyes were seeing, and I felt uneasy.

I am writing as a citizen, as a mother, as a Latina, as a black woman and as an immigrant.

Is Congress serving its mission?

I am reaching out to members of Congress to ask them what happened to the oath they pledged as our representatives to be the shield that protects the dignity of all people regardless of race, gender, creed, or nationality; to ask them what happened to the oath they pledged to the Constitution, the belief that all men and women are created equal, and the importance of ensuring checks and balances between the branches of government.

I couldn’t understand why we wouldn’t receive a message of unity from our president after the events that followed that weekend, why was it so hard to call that madness by its names: bigotry and racism.

What will we tell our children?

Will there be a future for them if we continue like this?

Do I have to believe that because my kids or any other sons or daughters of an immigrant are not welcome in the country they where born?

That because of the color of their skin, they don’t deserve the opportunity of a better future?

Don’t we, immigrants and people of color, deserve respect as human beings?

Or does respect only come when one fits the characteristics of a specific group of individuals, namely white and wealthy?

Now more than ever, Congress must pass reforms on immigration, healthcare and education that improve the lives of all Americans and put an end to the inequality that is profoundly dividing our country.

This story was originally published September 4, 2017 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Congress must help end our inequality."