[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 169 (Thursday, October 11, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6809-S6810]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MURDER OF MULUGETA SERAW

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, this November, my hometown of Portland 
marks a somber occasion: the 30th anniversary of the murder of Mulugeta 
Seraw, a 28-year-old Ethiopian college student, by racist skinheads. 
This horrific case galvanized the city, as well as the State of Oregon, 
to stand up to hate crimes and acts of violence by the neo-Nazi 
movement in the Pacific Northwest. While this brutal slaying happened 
30 years ago, it remains fresh in the minds of many who lived through 
that time and for people who still experience discrimination and hate 
today.
  Mulugeta's path to our country mirrors those of so many others who 
came to America. He came to the United States seeking an education. A 
college student in Portland, he worked multiple jobs and remitted money 
to Ethiopia to support his son, Henock.

[[Page S6810]]

Mulugeta, like many immigrants who come to America, was simply seeking 
opportunity. His family and friends describe him as a kind, hard-
working man. He had friends and family whom he supported and loved. All 
this was ripped away by evil, cruel racism.
  As a result of the cruelty done to Mulugeta, community members, civil 
rights lawyers, judges, elected officials, and nonprofits came together 
and demanded justice be served. They succeeded.
  The case attracted national attention, and thanks in part to the 
great effort of the Southern Poverty Law Center, the White Aryan 
Resistance and its leaders who were behind this heinous crime were 
bankrupted and jailed. While no prison sentence could bring back 
Mulugeta, Oregonians stood and stand in solidarity with Mulugeta and 
his family and friends to make clear we will not let hate crimes and 
violence take over our communities.
  We have to remain vigilant, and we have to continue the fight. We 
must recognize our own troubling present in Oregon, which unfortunately 
has an awful history as a home for White supremacists, because to not 
know our own history dooms us.
  In the years since Mulugeta's death, there have been horrific acts of 
racially charged violence in Oregon. In May of 2017, a self-proclaimed 
White nationalist verbally attacked two women who were riding 
Portland's MAX light rail. One of these two women was wearing a hijab. 
The perpetrator stabbed three men who defended the women against the 
racist and Islamophobic rant, killing two of them.
  There have been horrific racist acts throughout the Nation. The march 
and murder in Charlottesville is another clear example of how these 
White supremacist ideals and concepts continue to draw breath in our 
country. Like Oregonians speaking out in remembrance of Mulugeta Seraw, 
we must all speak out against hate. It has no place in our country, 
including in our White House.
  This year, as we remember the 30th anniversary of the murder of 
Mulugeta Seraw and 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 
assassination, I would like to acknowledge the many organizations in 
Oregon that fight for peace and justice every day on behalf of 
marginalized communities. I would like to especially acknowledge 
members of these communities who are resilient and strong. I stand with 
them today and every day.
  In a few weeks, Oregonians will come together to remember and 
celebrate the life of Mulugeta Seraw during a 30th year commemoration 
conference organized by the Urban League of Portland. I am honored to 
add to this remembrance with this Congressional Record. May Mulugeta 
and his story never be forgotten, and may we remember, learn, and 
change.

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