No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.
Rise up with us for No Kings II, 10/18
Advocacy
"A Grassroots Approach to Combating Hate," A Panel Discussion
We all deserve to feel safe in our communities – no matter who we are, where we live, or what we believe. But with frightening regularity, the lives of our friends and neighbors are forever changed by hate-based violence.
On April 22nd, the U.S. Senate passed the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act as an amendment to the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. If passed by the House, this legislation will provide much-needed support to victims of hate crimes, their communities, and authorities. While legislation like the NO HATE Act and the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act is essential in the fight against hate-based violence, grassroots efforts to combat hate and bigotry are equally necessary to protect targeted groups.
Sim Singh, senior manager of policy and advocacy at the Sikh Coalition, Tiffany Chang, director of community engagement at Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and Liz Peterson, assistant director of Houston Coalition Against Hate, joined Interfaith Alliance president and moderator Rabbi Jack Moline to discuss how allied individuals and organizations can fight hate on a local level.
This conversation took place on Tuesday, June 22, via Zoom and can also be found on our Facebook page.
Transcript
Department of Education Gets Patriotism Wrong
Interfaith Alliance, together with major religious organizations committed to religious freedom and education, has submitted a formal comment to the U.S. Department of Education opposing the proposed priority and definitions on promoting patriotic education.
Moral Courage in Action: Faith Communities Confront Executive Overreach
This June, the Trump administration deployed the National Guard to California following widespread protests against a series of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across the city; protesters stood in solidarity with immigrant communities and voiced opposition to mass deportation. Executive overreach under the guise of making communities “safer” threatens the freedom and safety of protesters and distorts democratic norms. In August, the administration further displayed overreach by deploying National Guard troops and quelling protests in Washington, D.C. In September, the administration announced that Portland, Oregon, would be the next city to have troops mobilized in its community. In response, faith communities, along with their partners, have not relented and are pushing back in defense of immigrant rights and the integrity of our democracy.
Interfaith Solidarity with LDS Communities
These past few weeks have been some of the hardest for our partners in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). On September 27th, LDS Church President Russell M. Nelson passed away at the age of 101. President Nelson served as the Church’s 17th president and was a leader in promoting deep partnerships during a trying time in the Church’s history, including with other faith communities. We extend our deepest condolences to members of the LDS Church and wish them comfort as they mourn the passing of such an important leader.