06.05.20

Murkowski Speaks on Justice and Equality

“When those rights are denied, when they are violated, it is our responsibility to address the injustice”

During a speech on the Senator floor, U.S. Senator Murkowski (R-AK) spoke to what our nation has witnessed since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota—sparking thousands of protests nationwide of calls for justice and equality.

George Floyd Speech 1

CLICK HERE for video of Murkowski’s remarks.

Speech Excerpts

  • “When you think about those things that matter—equality, justice, the fundamental truth that all human beings are created equal and endowed by God with certain rights, and when those rights are denied, when they are violated, it is our responsibility to address the injustice. It is our responsibility as fellow humans, as Americans who believe in these principles of justice and equality.” 
  • “And we are hurting now as a nation. We have wounds from racism that have never been allowed to heal. And those words were just shared here on this floor moments ago. Wounds that have never been allowed to heal, wounds that are so open and raw and healing can’t take place until the hurt and the anger and the anguish that so many in this country still feel, so many African Americans, so many who feel that the system is meant for somebody but not them, that there is not equal justice under the law—it must be the law for somebody else.”
  • “In my home state, Alaskans have been coming together with a shared sense of duty and responsibility, speaking up about things that matter and doing so in a way that brings us together, rather than divides.”
  • “We heal when we acknowledge our weaknesses, when we acknowledge our failures and we vow to address the things that matter, like equality and justice. And what we say and how we say it truly matters.”
  • “I have struggled with the right words….But I can listen and I can educate myself and I can try to be a healer at a time when we need to be healed and that’s my commitment and my pledge going forward, to those I serve in Alaska and to those I serve here in this country.”
  • “This is challenging. We know this, but we are an extraordinary country. We are an extraordinary people with an extraordinary resilience.”