“We need to come together against the violence fueled by hate,” said President Biden on September 15, as he gathered community, government, and religious leaders at the White House to build bridges and confront hate and division.
The United We Stand Summit of the Biden-Harris administration was held on the 59th anniversary of the bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, which killed four children and injured a dozen more.
That attack, aimed at hindering the progress of African Americans in securing civil rights, outraged the nation and, less than a year later, propelled the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Since then, several cities in the U.S., including Charlottesville, Virginia; Orlando, Florida; Pittsburgh; Buffalo, New York; and Atlanta, have suffered violence at the hands of white supremacists and extremists targeting people because of their faith, color, or sexual orientation.
Vice President Harris told the summit that Americans must once again “confront division with unity” to stop the violence fueled by hate. “We have seen our neighbors, our friends, our loved ones attacked simply for who they are or where they pray,” she stated.
“Today, we must rededicate ourselves to coming together to help our communities prevent, respond to, and recover from acts of hateful violence,” she said.
New Efforts to Foster Unity
At the summit, Biden announced a new White House initiative to address hate-motivated violence, which will bring federal resources and involve religious and community leaders, businesses, nonprofits, and others to prevent violence, reduce division, and promote unity.
“There are core values that must unite us as Americans,” Biden said. “And one of them is to come together against hate, racism, extremism, and violence.”
The New Federal Efforts Will:
Support violence prevention programs, including with $20 million in grants from the Department of Homeland Security. Strengthen coordination between law enforcement and communities to increase reporting of hate crimes and improve trust. Enhance resilience against attempts to incite violence online, including through $69 million from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for digital literacy and online skills training. Expand national service and volunteering to bring people together for a common purpose.
Religious and business leaders and activists working to reduce hate and division in their communities also committed to taking the following actions:
A bipartisan group of former White House officials is launching Dignity.us to foster dialogue and find solutions to hate-fueled violence.
The philanthropic group New Pluralists is mobilizing $1 billion in investments in programs that promote unity among Americans from different backgrounds.
Interfaith America, YMCA, Habitat for Humanity, and other service groups are training 10,000 Americans to build bridges between people in their communities.
Survivors of hate-fueled violence from diverse backgrounds attended the summit, and Biden praised their courage and determination to confront a challenge that has long plagued the nation.
“My fellow Americans, we remain in the battle for the soul of our nation,” Biden said. “When I look at all of you here today, I know we will win this battle.”
Source: share.america.gov