It's not over.

We are again at a moment in this nation’s history when our values are being tested. In the face of rising violence and hatred, we can choose apathy or we can choose action.

The path of action will require us to decide how we, individually and collectively, can make racial and social equality a reality.

To walk down this path, we must be frank about the challenges we face -- and the changes we need to make. And the truth is, we are a country where a number of our communities continue to face discrimination, hateful rhetoric, and targeted violence.

We are a country where Black communities continue to fight systemic injustice… where anti-immigrant rhetoric fuels hate crimes targeting Latinos… where Asian American communities are increasingly targeted by hateful rhetoric and violence… where Indigenous cultures have endured centuries of unfair treatment… where our LGBTQ+ communities face violence in the spaces they’ve created to be safe… and where people of diverse faiths have seen violence in their synagogues, churches, and temples.

This is our current truth, but it doesn’t need to be our common future.

I’ve been reflecting in recent days. The antisemitic hate on display recently reminds me that even after demagogues have left office, the plague of hatred remains. It’s a lesson we have seen play out generation after generation.

The opponents are still the same. The imperative for action still exists. This is a battle that cannot be lost.

In some ways, we can look to the past for the way forward.

In the early 20th century, a small group of Jews and African Americans joined together to form the NAACP, one of the most powerful forces for positive change in our nation’s history.

During the civil rights era, Jews and African Americans joined together to march, protest, and fight for changes to our laws that would abolish a system of American apartheid.

Last week, after winning re-election, Senator Raphael Warnock made sure to recognize what happens when communities come together.

The Reverend said, “Georgia, once again… you sent an African American man and a Jewish man to the Senate in one fell swoop. You are sending a clear message to the country about the kind of world we want for our children.”

This is a time of significant challenge and significant consequence.

The path forward is uncharted. We will need to dismantle generations of barriers -- both social and systemic. And it will take a level of collective civic engagement from a diverse coalition of allies that our country has never seen before. I believe the change we seek is possible, but I know it’s not promised.

I’m asking you to join me on this path. The fights against voter suppression, gerrymandering -- these are the civil rights issues of our time. Before we can build a better vision, we must dismantle the tools used to impede our full participation in this democracy. Will you pledge to be one of the people who chooses action over apathy?

In solidarity,
Eric H. Holder, Jr.

All On The Line is the grassroots advocacy campaign supported by the National Redistricting Action Fund. Support our work to end gerrymandering.

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