Jews in the D jews and racial justice
“I Want Them to be Visible” U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Rep. Brenda Lawrence asks the Jewish community to stand in solidarity with the black community. CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER Brenda Lawrence
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he Congressional Caucus on Black-Jewish Relations released a joint statement on June 2 condemning the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, calling his death “nothing less than a modern-day lynching.” The caucus also called for an end to systemic racism and demanding justice. U.S. Representative Brenda Lawrence (D), who represents Michigan’s 14th district, is one of the co-chairs of the caucus. Lawrence believes that now is the time for the caucus to spring into action and calls on the black and Jewish communities to continue to come together like they have in the past. “We’re going to have legislation and laws that will address hate crimes and civil rights for everyone,” Lawrence told the JN. “This is an opportunity for us to work together. We must become very clear in our government and in our policies to publicly have zero tolerance for people who commit hate crimes, for people who discriminate and for people who are racist and anti-Semitic.” In the next few weeks, the caucus is planning a national
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town hall event to be aired on PBS. They are still working on the logistics for the town hall so they can include a variety of voices. The caucus, started in the fall of 2019, brings together bipartisan leadership to raise awareness of the needs of the communities, as well as to initiate measures to combat hate and stereotypes. As the representative for a district that includes
Floyd’s murder takes place, the investigation should not be conducted by its own police force. Instead, she said, it should be handed over to the FBI for investigation. Lawrence would like to see more changes in the training, education and hiring of police officers. Many cities, Lawrence said, require rookies to take diversity training courses, but once officers are sworn in, the
“Someone told me yesterday, ‘No matter how dark the night, morning will come.’ And I am counting on that.” — BRENDA LAWRENCE large parts of Southfield, West Bloomfield and Farmington Hills, as well as Pontiac and much of Detroit, Lawrence has long had to balance the needs of her black and Jewish constituents. Lawrence said the caucus is putting a package of legislature together. One policy she wants to see is that when a crime like
courses never come back into play. “We all have our own personal biases and life experience that allow us to have certain feelings,” Lawrence said. “But being a police officer, we must find a way to train, monitor, hold accountable and remove those police officers who are not fulfilling their duties.”
LAWRENCE STANDS WITH PROTESTERS While protests are happening throughout the country in response to the police killing of Floyd, Lawrence advocates for people to stand up, use their voices and stand in solidarity with the black community. She also asks for the Jewish community to continue to lend their undeniable support. “The civil rights we have gained in this country were because of the Jewish community stepping up legally, stepping up by protesting and stepping up in financial support for groups,” Lawrence said. “What we need now is the Jewish community to stand with us. The Jewish community to me are my brothers and sisters. I want them to be visible.” Lawrence understands this fight is the same fight generations have been combatting for years, similar to how the Jewish community continues to battle anti-Semitism, white supremacy and hate crimes. “When are we going to create an environment that shows this is unacceptable?” Lawrence said. “Someone told me, ‘You
