John, today I’m reaching out with a heavy heart.

Jacob Blake, a Black man from Kenosha, Wisconsin, who was walking to his car after breaking up a neighborhood fight — is now fighting for his life after being brutally and unjustly shot by police officers.

His children were forced to watch as their father was shot in the back. Several times.

I am angry and heartbroken. For Jacob Blake, his children, his family, and for the African American community. Because the wounds this nation continues to inflict upon Black and brown bodies in the name of systematic racism, racial bias, and police brutality seem to be never-ending.

We must not rest until justice is severed. It is with heavy hearts and the very anger we feel that we must persevere in the fight for justice, freedom, and equality. Because this is a fight that is quite literally a matter of life, death, and preservation.

Following the senseless murder of George Floyd, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Karen Bass, and I introduced a resolution condemning all acts of racial profiling, police brutality, and excessive use of force.

Today, I’m not asking you — I’m urging you — to join me in raising your voice for Jacob Blake and countless others who’ve been victims of police brutality. Join me in condemning all acts of racial profiling, police brutality, and excessive use of force by adding your name to this petition, today.

Black and brown people should be able to sleep in their own beds at night, reach for their wallets, take a jog around the neighborhood, and simply get in the car to take their children home without having their lives stolen from them.

Every signature today keeps me fighting for a future where justice, freedom, and equality is a reality.

In solidarity,

Barbara Lee