Our Statement on the Israel/Palestine Conflict: The Violence Must End
The Coalition of Communities of Color unequivocally condemns the violence, death, and destruction that has been visited upon innocent Israelis and Palestinians.
We also acknowledge the historical power imbalance that has been responsible for perpetuating the conditions of Palestinian suffering over the past several decades.
We may not be experts on these larger forces and history, but we are all humans, all with a moral code. Our mission, while local, urges us to speak out against the oppression, injustice, and horrific violence, including the indiscriminate bombing and siege of Gazan individuals, families, and children.
To that end, we wish to share the words of our colleagues at the Othering and Belonging Institute, helmed by the eminent scholar dr. john powell:
As Palestinians suffer under collective punishment and Gaza is made increasingly unrecognizable and uninhabitable, and Jews suffer from the attacks and worry about loved ones taken as pawns in a political fight, we as a society will also be unrecognizable to future generations if we do not stand up for Palestinian and Jewish humanity and our shared, unequivocal right to belong without othering.
We urge you to read the complete statement from the Othering and Belonging Institute here, which lays out the complex but always critical issues that will begin to direct decision-makers into better next steps.
We, along with millions of others, call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and release of all hostages, and it is incumbent on our congressional delegation to hear the voices of their constituents and join this call to end the violence.
This message is shared on behalf of the Coalition of Communities of Color and does not necessarily reflect the views of all of our members.
Calls to action:
Read “We Belong to Each Other: A Call To End the Violence” from the Othering and Belonging Institute
Sign on to the letter from Jewish Voices for Peace Portland calling for a ceasefire
Contact your representatives in Congress and urge them to end the violence in Gaza now
Updated November 29: CCC initially neglected to call for the release of all hostages and have updated our statement to include this demand. We deeply regret this oversight and thank the community member who drew this to our attention.