The Butler County Democratic Committee unequivocally rejects the false notion, put forward in a recent Facebook post by the Butler County Republican Committee, that “every person in this country has the right to be, do and have whatever they want; they just have to be willing to work for it.”

It’s undeniable that Black and Brown Americans do have that right. But generations of White Americans have intentionally — and successfully — built national structures to weaken, narrow, and deny them the exercise and usage of that right at every turn.

The shameful reality, one the BCRC apparently cannot face, is this: Throughout our history, Black and Brown people have borne the dehumanizing brunt of systemic violence, structural oppression, gross marginalization, and outright exclusion.

As long as I am committee chair, we Democrats will not stand by and be silent. We will not be complicit in that system’s continuation, nor will we be blind to the part that we have all played, at some level, in its propagation.

Instead, we will listen to our Black and Brown friends, respect their words, and acknowledge their truths. We will be strong allies of their causes, amplify their voices, and share their visions. We will do all this fearlessly and with the understanding that by these efforts, we will build a better future for every American.

In fairness, I should mention that the Butler County Republicans did respond to this post. They removed it and according to their chairman, Al Lindsay, produced new rules governing social media messaging — creating a new post-vetting-and-approval process because, as he told the Butler Eagle, “when you have a committee where people express themselves, there are many divergent opinions.”

Mr. Lindsay, there should not be any divergent opinion about racism; racism is evil. Refining your communications process does nothing to fight hateful ideology; it’s a cosmetic touch-up.

There are no “good people on both sides” of this issue.

Given the speed with which this post was removed, the Republicans appear to understand how deeply wrong it was. Yet they make no attempt to disavow its contents or apologize for its creation. On the contrary, they are content to simply hide it away, pretend it never existed, and move on without comment — the very approach they appear to be taking toward the widespread, systemic, and very real racism plaguing our country today.