Baltimore shows the people will not tolerate injustice

My great-grandfather marched alongside Mahatma Gandhi during India's struggle for independence. He stood on the front lines, endured beatings and many nights in jail, because he believed that humans deserve to be free. He believed, as I do, that we deserve to have our voices heard when our freedom is threatened.

The outrage and outcry emanating from Baltimore is being echoed in cities across America. We are seeing a collective response to decades of social, economic and racial injustice, wherein African Americans and other minority groups have had their freedoms frayed, battered or blatantly defiled. The people of this country believe individuals have the natural right to be free from fear, undue hardship or persecution and danger. Free to live a life in pursuit of happiness.

History has taught us that when you threaten these freedoms, the people will exercise their inalienable right to protest. In just societies, the cause of liberty always prevails.

I do not condone any of the violence perpetrated by some in Baltimore. I recognize and encourage those that are peacefully assembling, and in doing so, are sending a clear message to the rest of the country: the people will not tolerate injustice.

American politics has always had difficulty with conversations of race and injustice. To delve deep into these matters we must confront our defining values as individuals and our troubled history as a country. This kind of introspection can be uncomfortable. But in politics we must not yield to discomfort.

President Barack Obama was correct when he said that America can begin to solve these problems, but that we must only desire to do it. We must be willing to see the foundational failings of decrepit schools, lack of economic opportunities, centuries of racial discrimination and understand their contributions to the violence and protests that plague our cities.

As a candidate for Congress, I try to view these challenges through the lens of reform and opportunity. When I speak of the need to reform our education system, to ensure that our economy is built from the middle out, to provide opportunities of economic mobility for people of all races and backgrounds, I do so with an eye toward addressing the hard problems of injustice.

I am aware that we need to do more, and that is not easy. However, electing leaders that see these issues from a different point of view and bring different solutions to the table is a good step toward progress. I want to amplify the voices of those in communities all across America who choose hope over fear, and progress over hopelessness.

I believe, as did Robert Kennedy, that each time a woman or 'man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope'; and these tiny ripples will begin to tear down the walls of oppression. The future of progress relies on those with the audacity to believe that they can actually change this world for the better. This belief is one of the founding principles of my campaign, and it is my hope to join the next generation of leaders who are not only optimistic enough to believe they can change this world, but are also brave enough to try.

• Ravi Patel, a Democrat, is running for Congress in Iowa's 1st Congressional District. He is the president of his family hotel development company and the co-founder of Built By Iowa, a private equity fund investing in Iowa start-ups. Comments: PO Box 1229, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406; (319) 573-9706