California senator Kamala D. Harris is challenging the politicians who’ve been publicly condemning white supremacy without using their political sway to combat it.
On Tuesday, Harris announced via Twitter that she created a petition urging Republican members of Congress to hold hearings addressing violent white supremacy.
The Senate Homeland Security Committee Democrats & I are calling for a hearing on violent white supremacy to examine root causes.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 22, 2017
Two weeks ago, a rally was organized to protest the removal of a Confederate statue. As a result, dangerous conglomerates of white supremacists and KKK members flooded the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia. The protest was responsible for the deaths of counter-protester Heather Hyer, two state troopers and the brutal attack on 20-year-old Dre Harris.
Harris’ petition calls for the government to “address the rise of white supremacist violence and ensure that all our citizens are safe from domestic terrorism.”
When the Charlottesville attacks took place, Harris was one of a number of politicians to acknowledge the August 13 events with a statement significantly more thoughtful than that of the nation’s president Donald Trump.
Every single day we must choose hope over despair and love over hatred. We are a stronger nation because of our diversity.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 14, 2017
The Daily Caller reports that in addition to Howard alumna’s Twitter announcement, she also sent an email to her supporters.
“No legislator should be allowed to condemn white supremacist violence on one day and simply turn a blind eye on the next,” she wrote in the letter.
The initiative from California’s first Black senator is just another instance in which the senator has demonstrated that she’s ready to show up and show out for Black Americans.
The call-out is also propelling further debate over whether the Harris will be a contender in the 2020 presidential election.
