Will Form 5495 Representative 2017-2023

I think I know a little bit about discrimination. I face it every single day. I carry multiple identities that are constantly being discriminated against. I thank the author for thinking about this particular bill, but I am saddened by the purpose it serves. Some members in this room believe that this is a particularly Jewish community. Some even think that this is a great bill because we are fighting against discrimination. If those two things were true, there would have been great support for representative Hornstein's amendment. I believe that we bring forth things like this to create more discussion and further a narrative that addresses the concerns and questions of particular people; the ways they might want to use their freedoms to oppose a government they feel is oppressing. This is not okay, and they don't have a right to do so. As many of you know, I come from Africa, and I wasn't old enough to know all that was happening in South Africa during the apartheid. But my grandfather told me stories about it and how many people of conscience decided to engage in boycotts to bring down that system. What we might not agree with today could be a reality for some people living in Israel and Palestine. Those of us in Minnesota, specifically in this body, who are not educated enough about the experiences of the people in that region should not be having these conversations about what is appropriate and what isn't. I certainly never advocate for any kind of discrimination, and I never will. But I do advocate for all of us to work towards furthering peace in the world. I believe that peace cannot be achieved without justice, which must come first. I am saddened by the rise of anti-Semitism, and...