ANNAPOLIS, MD - Governor Wes Moore today delivered remarks at the 115th NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas. During the annual gathering of the nation’s largest and most widely recognized civil rights organization, the Governor called for national unity and healing in the aftermath of the political violence that occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania this past weekend against former President Donald Trump.

“The NAACP was proud to welcome Maryland’s first Black governor to the stage in Las Vegas. Governor Moore continues to serve as an inspiration for current and future leaders, not only because he is the first, but because he is using his position for meaningful change,” said NAACP President and Chief Executive Officer Derrick Johnson. “We look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts, whether it’s on the decriminalization of cannabis, or investment in our communities. Together, we’re making Maryland tougher, and Baltimore stronger.”

Following are key excerpts from the governor’s remarks as prepared:

“We stand together in praying for the continued healing of everyone touched by this tragedy. But in a larger sense, there is another healing we pray for: The healing of our national soul.”

“At a time when we have grown so numb to images of conflict and bloodshed, the pain we feel is no longer piercing…At this time with so much at stake for our country, history tells us there are two responses to the brokenness we face: We can turn our heads and ignore reality - or we can work together in order to heal.”

“Like so many people inside this room, I have been living with the broken promises of politicians all my life - but I’ve also been living with the realized promises of those who fought for me, even if they didn’t know me. People who believed in the hope of me, even if they knew they wouldn’t see those hopes realized in their own lifetimes.”

“We know some of our nation’s founding fathers were men who wrote powerful words, but often acted in ways that were inconsistent with those words. But it’s also important that we recognize we are living in a country shaped by the legacy of King, and the legacy of Parks, and the legacy of Douglass, and the legacy of Lewis, and the legacy of Jackson.”

“We live in the United States of America - the greatest democratic experiment in the history of the world. And as proud Americans - and as the truest definition of patriots - we have an opportunity that few people will ever know in their lifetimes: We have the chance to make our country better.”

“That’s the beauty - and the uncertainty - and the brilliance of America: Our future is of our own making.”

“President Biden’s words last night mark the most recent chapter in a legacy of service that has been guided by decency, empathy, and moral clarity. He reminds us every day that if we do the work, ‘joy cometh in the morning.’”

“Some of our most devastating moments have come when we were divided - and some of our most inspiring have been when we responded by uniting.”

“And at a time when many are consumed with darkness, our charge is to do what many have done before us: To keep marching toward the light.”

“We have the chance to make our country better. That’s the beauty - and the uncertainty - and the brilliance of America: Our future is of our own making. We are an experiment- ever-changing, incomplete-but always striving for more. Our sense of national pride is rooted not in a shallow belief that we are the best. Patriotism is not defined by waving a flag. Loving your country doesn’t mean lying about its history. But patriotism is knowing that we can always be better and knowing that as the Bible says, ‘faith without work is dead.’ Our experiment endures when we put in the work -and the NAACP is a living example of the light that our American experiment can bring to the world. This group, both in its past and in its present, has always chosen to do the work.”