In the wake of attacks by white supremacists, neo-Nazis and members of the KKK in Charlottesville, VA, the general secretary of the United Methodist Church,Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, penned a letter to fellow United Methodist, Attorney General Jeff Sessions. She encouraged others to also send their own letters calling for greater protection of the civil rights of people of color and religious minorities. Below is the letter I crafted and just sent to the Attorney General. It is a much better idea than my own first thought, sending an email to President Trump.
The Honorable Jeff Sessions Attorney General of the United States U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20530-0001
Dear Mr. Attorney General,
The events of this past week have weighed heavily on many of the people with whom I intersect on a regular basis, as it has for me. I greatly appreciate the statements from many in Capital Hill on both sides of the aisle and from many states in the Union who have condemned the hate and terrorism of white supremacy. I understand and greatly appreciate that you have already opened a civil rights investigation into the tragedy that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia this past weekend. The position of attorney general of the United States is responsible for addressing injustices and upholding the civil rights of all people in the United States. But it is also essential that as Attorney General you work to more justly uphold the protections and rights of people of color and religious minorities than what we have seen in your seven-month tenure at the Department of Justice.
As a person of German heritage, I have traveled several times to Germany, and twice have visited the German History Museum in Berlin. It is a place that brings forward both Germany’s greatest accomplishments in building a better society and their most horrendous offenses against humanity. Images are provided of those contributing to each. But the museum has also been extremely careful in certain presentations, for instances limiting the number and size of images of Adolf Hitler. This was chosen so that the country would acknowledge and confess their nation’s support of the evil powers of this world while also using all legal powers available to minimize the risk that neo-Nazi and other terrorist organizations might reassert their power over those of different races, ethnicities, religions, and a range of other qualifiers that denote a population as being inferior.
I appeal to you to faithfully use all legal powers available to the Department of Justice to bring to justice acts of terror by national organizations such as the white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the KKK, regardless of their current chosen title, who are attempting to restore the privileged superiority of white people over others they consider as inferior. And I ask that you lead the department to put in place all legal actions available to minimize the risk of further such actions, even as you continue your work to assure all of our civil liberties, works that at their best continue to help us as a nation to acknowledge and confess our own support of the evil powers of this world, and to establish a more just society for all, and especially the widows, the orphans, the oppressed, and the sojourners among us.
Dr. Martin Wolske 1806 Clover Lane Champaign, IL 61821