Clergy and Community Leaders Call on Congress to Reject ‘Cabinet of Bigotry,’ Advance our National Values
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2016
CONTACT
Michelle Nealy, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org, 202-735-7123
Clergy and Community Leaders Call on Congress to Reject ‘Cabinet of Bigotry,’ Advance our National Values
Ahead of the 72nd Anniversary of the tragic Supreme Court Korematsu Decision, faith and civil rights leaders deliver national petition rebuking bigotry
Washington, D.C. — On Wednesday, December 14, at 11 a.m., a prominent coalition of faith, family and community leaders will call on President-elect Trump and our political leaders to reject bigotry and appoint advisers who understand that forging a more tolerant, united and inclusive America is the best way forward.
Just days before the 72nd anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Korematsu decision, which ruled that removing 120,000 people of Japanese descent, two-thirds of whom were American citizens, from their homes and confining them in internment camps was constitutional, a diverse delegation of clergy and community leaders will deliver to Congressional leadership offices a national petition signed by 2,500 religious leaders condemning the elevation of many divisive figures to even higher positions of power. To sign our petition, click here.
The press conference will also feature Khizr Khan, the father of United States Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed in 2004 during the Iraq War, and Karen Korematsu, a nationally renowned community leader and daughter of civil rights icon Fred Korematsu.
“Congressional leaders must reject President-elect Trump’s cabinet of bigotry and demand advisors who embody the values that make our nation great — liberty and justice for all,” said Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO of Faith in Public Life and the petition’s primary author. “I stand firmly with those who are cut out of Trump’s vision of our nation. Americans of every race, color, sexual orientation and religious background must be included and valued in this nation we call home.”
What: Press conference, petition delivery to Congressional leaders
When: Wednesday, December 14, at 11 A.M.
Where:
Lutheran Church of the Reformation
212 East Capitol St NE
Washington, DC 20003
Who:
Karen Korematsu, Founder and Executive Director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute, and the daughter of the late Fred Korematsu, who fought Japanese American Incarceration during WWII
Khizr Khan, father of United States Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed in 2004 during the Iraq War
Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO, Faith in Public Life
Rev. William Barber, President and Senior Lecturer, Repairers of the Breach
Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, Bend the Arc Jewish Action
Bishop Carroll Baltimore, Carroll A. Baltimore Ministries International
Rev. Sharon Stanley, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Dr. Stephen Schneck, Director of the Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies, Catholic University of America
Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, CEO & Co-Founder, MomsRising
Rev. William Lamar IV, Pastor of Metropolitan AME Church
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Faith in Public Life is a strategy center for the faith community advancing faith in the public square as a powerful force for justice, compassion and the common good.