Dear friend,

When I worked at the White House, I walked past St. John's Church and through Lafayette Square every day -- places Americans have peacefully gathered for centuries.

Both St. John's Church and Lafayette Square have been symbols of peace and justice throughout our nation’s history. The longest running anti-nuclear peace vigil in the history of our country took place at Lafayette Square.

Every President since James Madison has visited St. John’s Church, but, until Monday, none ever used tear gas and flash grenades to forcibly remove peaceful demonstrators in order to use the church as a prop. It was horrifying to watch.

As disturbing as the images coming out of D.C. two nights ago were, it's important we don't allow ourselves to be distracted from the meaning behind these protests. The brave citizens gathering across the country -- from Lafayette Square to Minneapolis, Detroit to Los Angeles -- are protesting police brutality and the murders of Black Americans.

The truth that we all must face is that systemic racism is destroying lives. Black Americans today face daily injustices built upon hundreds of years of atrocities that we have yet to fully reckon with as a country.

The murder of George Floyd was not an isolated event. Read these names: Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Tony McDade. Trayvon Martin. Sandra Bland. Mike Brown. Freddie Gray. Aiyana Jones. They are just a few of the names of Black men and women who have also been killed in recent years. We must demand better.

Those of us who are not Black have a duty to reflect on our own prejudices and work every day for justice and equality. That includes non-white folks like me. And we must take meaningful action to support the efforts of organizations who are already doing this hard and necessary work.

Earlier this week, my team sent a list of resources to help serve as a starting point for taking action on these critical issues. I have reattached this list below in the hopes that those of you who have not yet taken part will be able to do so:


Take Action

Find a peaceful protest in NJ >> [link removed]

Register to vote >> [link removed] and fill out the census >> [link removed]


Donate

George Floyd Memorial Fund >> [link removed]

New Jersey ACLU >> [link removed]

NAACP Legal Defense Fund >> [link removed]


Join

Find an NAACP unit near you >> [link removed]

Showing up for Racial Justice >> [link removed]



Thank you,

Andy

 





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Andy Kim for Congress
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Marlton NJ 08053 United States

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