John,

This Juneteenth, we honor the ongoing fight for Black liberation and safety in the U.S.

I want to lift up my colleague Jamaal Bowman’s resolution, which has passed the House of Representatives. It condemns May’s horrific anti-Black massacre in Buffalo, New York, and condemns the “great replacement theory” inspiring the attack.

Mass murderers have also used this conspiracy theory while targeting synagogues, mosques, and Latinx people. The lie is rooted in a hateful and false premise that this country belongs only to white people.

Although the conspiracy theory is a long-standing part of white supremacist ideology, it has recently been embraced by the Republican mainstream, including Republicans in Congress and Fox News. This is extremely concerning, and we must speak up and act.

Please sign on as a citizen co-sponsor of Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s resolution to combat the racist “great replacement theory” and to end white supremacy.

To be clear: This racist and antisemitic conspiracy theory is not new. It’s been used by fascist movements for years in the U.S. and Europe. And it’s part of the systemic racism that has been baked into our institutions and policies for hundreds of years.

We can see some of the effects of structural racism in Buffalo’s East Side, the Black community still reeling from May’s massacre.

The murderer drove hours from his majority-white community to target the East Side’s supermarket in particular. It’s the only grocery store in the community, which residents have referred to as a food desert.

Hundreds of years of racist policies have led to this ongoing segregation and disinvestment in Black communities. This is why ending systemic racism is also about investing in Black and brown communities.

In many ways, racial inequities keep worsening. Discriminatory housing and lending policies have continued, and the gap between white and Black home ownership rates is the widest it has been in 50 years. Relatedly, the wealth gap between Black and white families has expanded over the past 40 years. Facing disparities in life expectancy, quality of healthcare, and more, Black Americans are also over-policed and over-incarcerated.

Buffalo’s massacre is a trauma on top of years of trauma for Black Americans, many of whom understandably wonder: Where can we be safe?

I’m committed to dismantling structural racism and building a society where all of us are safe and can thrive.

We have much more work to do, but will you join me in this first step of signing on as a citizen co-sponsor of Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s resolution to combat the racist “great replacement theory”?

Thank you. For Black readers, I wish you much-needed joy and peace this holiday.

In solidarity,

Rashida