Hi team,

Along with a coalition of civil rights groups and congressional colleagues, I’m pressing the House to pass a resolution against the racist ‘Insular Cases.’

Introduced into the House last year, the resolution recognizes equal constitutional rights for residents of all U.S. territories, including the Virgin Islands. It also repudiates so-called ‘Insular Cases,’ a series of Supreme Court decisions limiting the rights of residents living in U.S. territories that include the same racists arguments as another case decided at the same time, Plessy v. Ferguson — separate but equal.

Friend, will you join me and add your name to my petition calling on Congress to do the right thing and recognize equal constitutional rights for residents of all U.S. territories?

The resolution introduced is bipartisan, providing Congress with a historic opportunity to reject the separate and unequal status for the 3.6 million residents of U.S. territories — the vast majority of whom are people of color.

But while Supreme Court justices across the political spectrum have recently criticized the Insular Cases as “odious and wrong which rest on a rotten foundation,” the Court continues to refuse to reconsider these controversial decisions.

Folks, the time for kicking this down the road has passed. We can no longer allow this racist injustice to stand and for Virgin Islanders to be denied equal constitutional rights.

That’s why I’m pressing for Congress to pass this resolution before the new Congress is seated in early January.

When I was elected to represent the Virgin Islands, I committed to fighting to overturn the Insular Cases, and I wholly support this coalition of folks fighting for equal rights.

If you do as well, please add your name to my petition and tell Congress the time to recognize equal constitutional rights for residents of all U.S. territories is right now.

Thanks for taking action on this crucial issue.

Rep. Stacey Plaskett