Week in Review 12-4-2020
Submitted by holliswein on Fri, 12/04/2020 - 2:48pm
Every single person can make a choice that causes a ripple effect that leads to change.
Sixty-five years ago this week, Rosa Parks's choice of where to sit on a Montgomery bus became a defining moment in American history. That action sparked a Civil Rights moment that eventually brought an end to segregation.
Several watershed moments which felt like our country was leaving its ugly past behind followed Rosa's defiant move. One was the Voting Rights Act of 1964 that lifted legal barriers preventing Black Americans from voting. Another was the election of Barack Obama as our first Black president.
But as time would show, these moments were anomalies.
In 2013, the Supreme Court gutted key protections of the Voting Rights Act, allowing states with a history of overt white supremacy and voter suppression to once again disenfranchise Black voters.
With the election of Donald Trump, white supremacy felt legitimized and grew by 55 percent. Throughout his presidency, Trump used antisemitic tropes to stoke the fires of bigotry. Antisemitism has now reached an all-time high. Hate crimes have also risen to the highest level in a decade.
Soon Trump's presidency will be behind us. Then, the healing can begin. An important step on this journey will be in Georgia where we are working to elect Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to the U.S. Senate. Their opponents have allowed these races to be laced with racism and antisemitism.
Ossoff was portrayed with a long nose by his opponent in an ad. Warnock's virtual town hall event was disrupted by online hackers chanting racial slurs. He is being demonized by his opponent for being a "dangerous" person.
Their historic victories could also start a ripple effect of change similar to Rosa Parks's. Ossoff would be the first Jewish Senator and Warnock the first Black Senator to serve Georgia.
Get involved to help their campaigns. Below are ways you can do your part. The battle for the soul of our nation continues. Elections matter.
