I, Jose Fernandez, President of the University of Rochester College Republicans, want to

state unequivocally on behalf of our chapter that we condemn as forcefully as possible the
actions and views of our former member and president, Christopher Hodgman. I was disgusted to
learn that the Brighton Police Department had identified my predecessor as the source of stickers
and flyers branded with the name and logo of “Identity Evropa,” a white supremacist group.
Unsurprisingly, Mr. Hodgman’s organization finds itself historically challenged, subscribing to
the belief that “America was founded as a white country — as a country for people of European
heritage.”
The gravity of this situation demands more than condemnation and denunciation. Such
repugnant views demand more than some insincere pro forma denunciation—such as when
President Trump blamed both sides (that is, white nationalists and non-white nationalists) for
the fatal incident that killed 1 and injured 28 others in Charlottesville, where Mr. Hodgman’s
friends organized the “United the Right” rally. Let me be as clear as possible: Our entire
chapter condemns in no uncertain terms racism and prejudice of any form.
As the son of Hispanic parents, to a father who left his family in the Dominican
Republic for America at 17 years old, speaking no English, with only $50 sewn into his
underwear; I was fortunate enough to see firsthand what makes America great: The ethos that
anyone who seeks a better, more peaceful life can seek refuge in America, for though our
streets are not paved with gold, they house the tired and poor, who now leave their children a
life far better than theirs—as my father did for me.
When I think of an “American,” I do not picture a white guy from Bethesda, Maryland; I
think of the Somali immigrant who sacrificed everything for a new life in America. America is
not a monolith, but a global refuge. In recognition of that ideal, Ronald Reagan began his final
speech as President: “You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman. You
can go to live in Germany or Turkey or Japan, but you cannot become a German, a Turk, or a
Japanese. But anyone, from any corner of the Earth, can come to live in America and become an
American.” A country where anyone who looks for a better, more peaceful life can seek
refuge— that is the most sacred goal we can aspire for America. And while it has given so much
to many, we must recognize that too often it falls short of that for far too many Americans, still
plagued by its great, original sin. We cannot let the Christopher Hodgmans of the world, those
who fear nonwhites replacing them, prevent us from attaining that goal. This fear, I should add,
makes it even more fitting that a first-generation Hispanic student replaced Mr. Hodgman as
President of our chapter.
It would be remiss of me not to address the elephant in the room, which is the party
literally represented by an elephant. Christopher Hodgman was President of the University of
Rochester College Republicans. Our chapter emphatically condemns his actions and beliefs.
Rather than implicating us, he obligates us to openly and forcefully reject the ideals he cowardly
promotes. While I can state with absolute certainty that our chapter rejects Mr. Hodgman’s
ideology, I cannot say the same for the Republican Party as a whole. Whether or not the
Republican Party has a future will turn on its response to even the slightest strain of white
nationalism. We hope the Republican Party chooses to purge itself of the Christopher
Hodgmans of the world, just as our chapter has.
 Identity Evropa, the organization Mr. Hodgman chose to support, aims to “stealthily
infiltrate Republican politics to move the party towards its agenda of banning non-white
immigration.” Its founder began to read white supremacist literature intensively while in prison,
and if reporting from the Democrat and Chronicle is correct, it looks like Mr. Hodgman may
follow suit. Unfortunately, it is difficult to dismiss such hate groups when the President of the
United States retweets—perhaps accidentally—white supremacists and neo-Nazis and the House
of Representatives does not expel a congressman who regularly promotes white nationalists.
Perhaps the main problem for the Republican Party is amnesia, as many of its members
forget their opposition to terrorism and commitment to rule of law when they turn a blind eye to
the surging American terror threat: domestic terrorism. The real threat comes not from
immigrants born in the Middle East and North Africa, but Bethesda, Maryland. Just as Mr.
Hodgman does not welcome those who don’t look like him, we must not welcome his ideology.
As President of our College Republicans chapter, I hoped to foster productive dialogue
and reform the Republican Party for the better. I have gone to great lengths to ensure that we are
not a typical College Republicans chapter. I recommend a recent Campus Times feature on our
chapter, which illustrates this point. It would be irresponsible for our chapter to do anything but
assert in the most certain, forceful possible terms that we fully repudiate Mr. Hodgman’s
actions and beliefs. Just as important, however, on behalf of our chapter, I deeply apologize for
the harm done by our previous president. All we can do now, going forward, is demonstrate
even more clearly our commitment to the very ideals that Mr. Hodgman and his affiliates
sought to undermine.

Sincerely,

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Jose Fernandez
President, University of Rochester College Republicans

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Anthony Pericolo
Vice President, University of Rochester College Republicans

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Steven Ma
Business Manager & Treasurer, University of Rochester College Republicans
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Dax Emerson
Events Coordinator, University of Rochester College Republicans

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Jesse Klauber
Publicity Chair, University of Rochester College Republicans