Woodhull Joins 156 Civil and Human Rights Groups in Call for Stronger Response to Hate Incidents

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — March 10, 2017 — Washington, DC

This is a press release from The Leadership Conference. Please find the original post here.

WASHINGTON –The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and 155 civil and human rights groups today called upon the Executive Branch to respond more quickly and forcefully to hate-based incidents, which have been occurring at an alarming rate in recent months.  The statement follows:

“Our diversity is part of what makes America great, and incidents motivated by hate are an affront to the values we share. No one should face acts of violence or intimidation because of their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, disability, or national origin.

Just this year, we have seen an alarming increase in accounts and reports of hate-based acts of violence and intimidation. Some recent examples include:

• The February shooting in Olathe, Kansas, where two Indian Hindu Americans were attacked, killing Srinivas Kuchibhotla;
• Four mosques burned in the past two months, in Texas, Washington, and Florida, and more defaced by acts of vandalism;
• Numerous bomb threats against Jewish Community Centers, synagogues, and ADL offices around the country;
• The recent shooting in Washington state of a Sikh American outside of his home;
• Racist graffiti targeting African Americans in Stamford, Connecticut and at a high school in Lake Oswego, Oregon;
• An attack on a Latino man in Daly City, California, and an attack on a Hispanic woman in Queens, New York, with both targeted because of their ethnicity;
• The murders of seven transgender women of color, including six African Americans and one Native American.

While we welcome President Trump’s remarks to the joint session of Congress, where he noted ‘we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms,’ it was the first public acknowledgement he had made on specific recent events.  It is clear that the President has been slow to respond to hate incidents, when he has responded at all.  We strongly believe the President has a moral obligation to use his bully pulpit to speak out against acts of hatred when they occur.  

Moreover, the President and his surrogates have too frequently used rhetoric and proposed and enacted policies that have fostered a hostile environment toward many, including African Americans, Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim, and immigrant and refugee communities. The President cannot condemn hate in one sentence and then in the same speech, promote falsehoods that can lead to bias and hate violence.

We as a nation are stronger when we are inclusive. We encourage the President, his staff and members of his Cabinet to condemn hate incidents when they happen.  We appreciate Secretary of Homeland Security Kelly’s recent condemnation of these acts and his pledge for support and outreach by the Department’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Especially given the unique obligations and responsibilities of the Department of Justice, we strongly urge Attorney General Sessions to take similar actions.

We also urge the President to continue the tradition of a White House interagency task force on hate violence, and make available the full resources of the federal government to track and report hate crimes, to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators, and to aid affected communities. Our inclusive democracy demands no less.”

Signed,

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

9to5, National Association of Working Women

The Aafia Foundation

AAUW

ACRS

The African American Policy Forum

American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity

American Constitution Society for Law & Policy

American Federation of Teachers

American Islamic Congress

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee

Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)

Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Amnesty International USA

Anti-Defamation League

Arab American Institute

Arizona Asian Chamber of Commerce

Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)

Asian American Organizing Project

Asian American Psychological Association

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Chicago

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles

Asian Americans United

Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote

Asian Counseling and Referral Service

Asian Law Alliance

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA)

Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center

Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO)

Asian Pacific American Senior Coalition

Asian Pacific Development Center

Asian Services In Action

Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO)

AZAPIAVote Table

Bend the Arc Jewish Action

Black Women’s Roundtable

Black Youth Vote!

B’nai B’rith International

Center for Asian American Media

Chinese Community Center, Houston

Church of Scientology National Affairs Office

Church World Service

Coalition for Disability Health Equity

Coalition on Human Needs

DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund

Domestic Worker Legacy Fund

Equal Justice Society

Equal Rights Advocates

Equality California

Farmworker Justice

Global Justice Institute, Metropolitan Community Churches

GLSEN

Hindu American Foundation

Hispanic Federation

Housing Choice Partners

Human Rights Campaign

Human Rights First

Institute for Science and Human Values

Interfaith Alliance

The Interfaith Center of New York

International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies

Islamic Networks Group (ING)

Japanese American Citizens League

Jewish Labor Committee

Labor Council for Latin American Advancement

Lambda Legal

LatinoJustice PRLDEF

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

League of United Latin American Citizens

Matthew Shepard Foundation

MiNDS & the #Beyond2016 Initiative

Muslim Advocates

NAACP

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

NANAY Community Economic Development Corporation

National Action Network

National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities

National Association of Human Rights Workers

National Association of Social Workers

National Bar Association

National Black Justice Coalition

National CAPACD

National Center for Law and Economic Justice

National Center for Lesbian Rights

National Center for Transgender Equality

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

National Coalition on Black Civic Participation

National Collaborative for Health Equity

National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)

National Council of Churches

National Council of Jewish Women

National Council on independent living

National Disability Rights Network

National Domestic Workers Alliance

National Education Association

National Employment Law Project

National Fair Housing Alliance

National Hispanic Media Coalition

National Immigration Law Center

National Iranian American Council

National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)

National LGBTQ Task Force

National Network for Arab American Communities

National Organization for Women

National Partnership for New Americans

National Partnership for Women and Families

National Religious Campaign Against Torture

National Women’s Law Center

National Youth Employment Coalition

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

New Mexico Asian Family Center

OCA

OCA Greater Houston

Ohio Council of Churches

OneAmerica

People For the American Way

PFLAG National

PolicyLink

Poligon Education Fund

Population Connection Action Fund

Presbyterian Feminist Agenda

Presbyterian USA

Pride at Work

Progressive Congress Action Fund

Project Vote

Public Advocates Inc.

Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union

The Revolutionary Love Project

SABA North America

Service Employees International Union

Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF)

The Sikh Coalition

South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)

South Asian Bar Association of North America

South Asian Fund For Education, Scholarship & Training (SAFEST)

Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)

Southern Poverty Law Center

State Innovation Exchange (SiX)

TASH

Transformative Justice Coalition

The Trevor Project

T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

Union for Reform Judaism

United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries

United Church of Christ, OC Inc.

The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society

The Voter Participation Center

We Belong Together

Women’s League for Conservative Judaism

Women’s Voices.Women Vote Action Fund

Woodhull Freedom Foundation

YWCA USA

 

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