Washington, D.C.—Church World Service today condemned white supremacist violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the subsequent excuse of such violence by the White House. The brutal violence towards Mr. Jacob Blake and the ensuing murder of two other protestors and the wounding of another by the racist vigilante in Kenosha has fanned the flames of racial tensions and protest across the nation.
The organization’s statement comes on the heels of Friday’s second March on Washington, organized by Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III. To mark the August 28, 2020 Commitment March on Washington, CWS issued the following statement:
“We are saddened and appalled that a White Supremacist’s vicious act of hunting Black men was excused by the highest office in the land. All Black and Brown people are constantly retraumatized by the unending series of these horrific killings. For our president to condone such violence is an insult to their plight.
This past weekend the second March on Washington was held. It served as a reminder that the first March on Washington occurred after Medgar Evers was shot and killed in Mississippi. Fifty-seven years later Mr. Jacob Blakes violent death in Kenosha, Wisconsin is inspiring another movement for justice, equality and equity.
On Friday, Rev. Sharpton said this was not just a march but a call to pass legislation. In that spirit, Church World Service calls on Congress to pass the BREATHE Act, George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. We need to act now so that we never have to call another name of a Black person who has been killed by police.
Friday’s March demonstrated that Black peoples and allies of all backgrounds will not bend, break, nor shrink from the brutal hands of systemic racism. Speaker after speaker reminded this country that for this nation to be the best it can be, it must live up to its creed that ‘that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’ Thousands of Black, Brown, white, gay, straight, young and old came out to say, ‘enough is enough.’”
CWS recognizes the intersections of race, oppression and discrimination happening with Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities. We stand with these communities to support the eradication of racism and discrimination and mark the names of those who have lost their lives due to injustice.
For more information contact Church World Service at media@cwsglobal.org.