Rep. Watson Coleman Calls For Solidarity In The Face of Hate

Rep. Watson Coleman Calls For Solidarity In The Face of Hate

Today, in response to reports of a wave of racist text messages sent to African American middle school, high school, and college students across the country, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) released the following statement calling for solidarity and calling on civil rights groups to join together to denounce the spread of hatred:

"Racist hate and threats like what we are seeing on college and high school campuses across the country are deliberate; designed to create an environment of fear, to divide us, and make us too afraid to defend the things and people we love.

"Scared and divided people are easier to control and easier to exploit. What we need is for people from all backgrounds to come together. We can push back the forces of hate by coming together, looking out for our neighbors, and defending them.

"Black allies, white allies, brown allies. Gay, straight, middle-class, and working-class allies: We need your voice now! Solidarity isn't optional; it's critical."