"We grieve the many lives that have been lost or painfully transformed in recent weeks through extreme acts of violence. And we are appalled by the surge of divisive rhetoric that sows the seeds of more violence to come," the full page ad begins.
— Heather C. McGhee (@hmcghee) December 10, 2015
The call for action was organized by the National Domestic Workers Alliance, United We Dream, Center for Community Change, Demos, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Arab-American Association of New York, MPower Change, SEIU, Color of Change, and MoveOn.org to name a few.
— AAFSC (@AAFSC) December 10, 2015
“A dangerous tide of hatred, violence, and suspicion is rising in America — whether aimed at Arab and Muslim Americans, women and the places we seek health care, Black people, immigrants and refugees, or people just going about their daily lives,” it continues. “This tide is made more dangerous by easy access to guns.”
The ad featuring a waving American flag in the background asks when hate has accomplished anything, and declares that, as a nation, we are better than this.
"We call upon our politicians, leaders and the media to stop the spread of hate and division," the statement declares. "And we pledge to stand with any community that is targeted by hateful rhetoric and violence."
The ad calls for people to sign the pledge, and use the hashtag #WeAreBetterThanThis to voice their support.
In the past month, attacks on Muslim people have skyrocketed, there was a shooting by white supremacists at a Black Lives Matter protest, and yet politicians and pundits continue to stoke the dangerous flames for small boosts in their polls and ratings.
"We have seen that dangerous and divisive words can lead to unspeakable tragedies," Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America told Common Dreams on Thursday. "We have seen that the intentional misrepresentation of facts can inspire hate. And we have seen that dividing the nation makes us less safe not more safe. Now we must decide if this is the path we want to continue down or if we're finally ready to say enough is enough, hold leaders accountable and demand that they represent the best of America, not the worst."
