Dear ADL Nevada Community,
In 2020 it is astonishing that we must continue to have the same conversation, that racism is a systemic problem in our county. Yet, here we are. We collectively mourn the loss of George Floyd and stand in solidarity with the Black and Brown communities in Nevada and across the country.
Our country is in pain. We all know this, and have known for a long time. However, there are moments that are so intense that the nation is crying out. Will we listen? Let us turn action into peace today that lasts through every tomorrow…for every American.
When we stand together we are stronger. When we speak out for others we are heard. And, when we collectively change our way of thinking we bring action. It was an honor to stand with colleagues in the Interfaith community in calling for vigilance and strength in solidarity. Find our statement below. We urge people to never stay quiet or accept the status quo, but in order to make change we must do it together. We must never be silent.
ADL Nevada will continue to join with impacted communities across the region to strengthen coalitions working to fight racism, antisemitism, xenophobia, and all forms of hate. We are monitoring, exposing, and challenging hate in every corner of our society. We are advocating for inclusive polices and laws that protect and uplift all of us. We are teaching the next generation to act as allies and actively challenge bigotry.
Our country is in pain. We know the only antidote for hate is education. Change comes with action.
Below are resources on how to have conversations with our children and each other:
- George Floyd, Racism and Law Enforcement
- Exploring Solutions to Address Racial Disparity Concerns
- Race Talk: Engaging Young People in Conversations about Race and Racism
- Helping Students Make Sense of News Stories about Bias and Injustice
- Empowering Young People in the Aftermath of Hate
Together we stand, divided we fall.
In Solidarity,
Jolie Brislin
Regional Director, ADL Nevada
Compassion and Justice: Now
It was a terrible week for this country in so many respects: the horrific reality caught on video of George Floyd being murdered in police custody, a reporter of color and his crew being arrested for doing their job covering the unrest that’s emerged, and finally a white woman in Central Park calling 911 and falsely accusing a black man of harassing her. All of this horror is occurring while the entire country continues to reel (and vulnerable communities even more so) from the health and economic impacts of the pandemic.
George Floyd's death has shed yet another spotlight one of our primary social ills, RACISM, a terrible virus, perhaps, even more frightening than Covid 19. Racism is not spread by some invisible mysterious microbe, but by the prejudice, bias, and bigotry that lies hidden in our hearts, awaiting our personal acknowledgement and transformation. Every time we think we have taken a step forward, it seems we fall two steps back. Rioting and further violence is clearly not the answer. The riots reflect peoples’ pain and frustration, the fact that they are not being heard. This wound must be healed, again and again, rapidly, until the virus of racism is totally eradicated, and replaced by a compassionate heart. How many times must the bandage of calm be ripped away until we heed Dr. King's call that we judge all by the content of their character and not the color of their skin? And, that we heed Dr. King’s appreciation that injustice for one is injustice for each and every one of us.
We are heartbroken by the cold-hearted murder of George Floyd. America in 2020 is still the place where black men, women and children are regularly murdered by the people who have vowed to protect them. It is the place where Hispanics are persecuted. While the vast majority of our law enforcement agencies do abide by the principles of justice and compassion, these events should awaken that voice which declares, “enough!”
We call upon all people of conscience and faith to use our voices, our feet, our dollars to defeat the insidious voices of racism, of homophobia, of xenophobia, all forms of bias, at the polls, in our homes, within our places of worship, within our community, both locally and globally. We ask for prayers and thoughts for the Floyd family, the Scott family, the Rice family, the Gray family, the Brown family, and so many, many more. We ask for all of us to step up your personal vigil against prejudice where ever it raises its deadly head, and to help transform that emotion into compassion.
Rabbi Sanford Akselrad, Congregation Ner Tamid
Reverend Catherine Gregg, the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada
Jolie Brislin, ADL
Imam Mujahid Ramadan, Masjid As-Sabur
Reverend Gard Jameson, Chair, Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada