California State Assemblyman for District 78, Christopher Ward (pictured above) was our featured speaker at our September meeting.

He shared with us some of the various projects he was involved with: Gun violence reduction legislation was signed into law in 2022. He authored a bill that was signed into law in 2022 that changes procedures for altering gender and sex identifiers on government documents.

He tackled homelessness, the economy, the environment, and the list goes on. He kept the audience mesmerized for 45 minutes and he left us wanting more. Visit his website ( [email protected]) to see what he stands for and fights for, and while you are at it you can subscribe to his Newsletter.

Assemblyman Ward is running for re-election but he did no campaigning in keeping with our Mission Statement. Being mindful of this I called League of Women Voters to find out if there was any other candidate(s) running for this office, there were none to date. I will monitor this and if there becomes an opposing candidate I will reach out and offer them an opportunity to speak before our group to discuss why they are seeking this office. Stay tuned.

REMINDER: SCAC will not be meeting in November but will hold our annual potluck social, open house, at 6:30 on Wednesday, Dec. 20. We look forward to the Mayor, Councilman, Supervisor, Assemblyman, SDUSD Board Trustee and some of our past speakers and you, joining us.

Some of the column writers of the Mensajero de Mission Times have been asked to write about antisemitism, and “hate speech” and address the flyers that have been disseminated in our neighborhoods.

This is a challenging subject for me because I feel so passionate about not only “tolerance” but “acceptance” of other cultures and that is one of the reasons the USA is the greatest country. There is so much I want to say and so little room.

Why do we “hate” someone? Is it because we are afraid of the difference? Is it because we have been taught to hate? My way isn’t the only true path nor is yours’. It is not okay to laugh, ridicule, condemn, and kill someone who looks, dresses, believes different or has a different color of skin, or eyes, color or slant of eyes, width of nose, no matter who they love, how they identify, and how they express themselves.

We must embrace, celebrate, and learn about and accept our differences; that is what makes this the greatest country. As we continue to do that we will continue to thrive, each and every one of us. At the end of the day, we are one people, Americans all, working for the continued success of the United States of America, ourselves, and our children.

Kindness is the highest form of intelligence and while I admire intelligence, I admire kindness more. When you say things or call people names, or absolutely ignore their existence, does that make you feel “superior” – that is a false and temporary sense of superiority, and it is despicable. When you sit down, think hate speech and then put those thoughts on paper, make and disseminate those papers through neighborhoods that is not just rhetoric but hate. And why?

Some say the Holocaust didn’t happen, and probably they are the main folks who are disseminating the hate flyers in our neighborhoods. But I am here to tell you the Holocaust did happen, and approximately 6 million Jews, and many millions of other people, were slaughtered just because they looked, dressed, or had a different view of reality than some egotistical being. We have seen evidence, heard the evidence, felt the evidence, and can smell something similar brewing. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, talks like a duck – it is most likely a duck!

I have known and spoken with many Holocaust Survivors, and second generation of Survivors each one knows they need to pass down the horrors of this time in the history of the world so that it doesn’t happen again, but we can’t keep our head in the sand.

If we are silent –we are complacent; if we are complacent – we are agreeing. THAT IS NOT WHAT WE MUST BE ABOUT. It is incumbent upon each and every one of us to help make the world a better place for our being here. We must accept and embrace our differences.

Antisemitism has historically spiked in times of fear and uncertainty, but this most recent uptick in antisemitic practices and expressions has reached a new quality––in part due to its presence in social, civic, and political institutions in the United States and abroad.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, antisemitism is a central feature of the white power movement, with Jewish people cast as all-powerful manipulators who use Black people and other nonwhite persons to challenge white social and political dominance.

We can’t have our heads in the sand, we need to know what’s out there. If the intention is to make the Jewish people in our neighborhoods feel more proud and more connected to our neighbors, they far surpassed their goal.”

Photo credit: https://a78.asmdc.org/