"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Elie Wiesel

In light of the recent increase in hate crimes and verbal attacks and harrassment against people of color, immigrants, Muslims, and other minorities, which have too frequently gone unconfronted, such as the recent incident at Jefferson Mall in Louisville, KY (link below), we must join together and pledge to stand up against these attacks and stop allowing them to happen. It can be scary to stand alone, so I am inviting everyone to stand together. Imagine if even two or three people had confronted this bully about her hateful words. Half the people standing in the line? Everyone in the store? Bullies rarely hold their ground when confronted, and there is strength in numbers. With this petition, I hope to demonstrate that even when we feel like we're standing alone, we are not. I hope to empower everyone to have the courage to stand against hate when we see it.

With my signature, I pledge to nonviolently speak up in defense of anyone I see being mistreated due to their race, national origin, religion, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other dimension that leads to oppression and bigotry. I also pledge to join with anyone I see standing up for the oppressed.

Together, we are strong, and we can silence hate instead of being silenced by hate.

http://m.wave3.com/wave/db_338316/contentdetail.ht...