PRESS RELEASE: NC groups demand Governor Cooper Support a Ceasefire in Gaza
Media Contact: Lela Ali, (252) 955-9502
RALEIGH- A coalition of 30 organizations sent a letter to North Carolina Governor, Roy Cooper expressing disappointment regarding his biased statement on the recent violence from Israel against Palestinians in Gaza. Governor Cooper ordered all US and NC flags at state facilities to be flown at half-staff “in remembrance of the dead [Israeli] innocent civilians.” What about the thousands upon thousands of Palestinians who have been killed since October 7th? One Palestinian child is killed every ten minutes in Gaza. The failure to recognize the violent reality of living under siege and occupation keeps none of us safe. No person, no child anywhere should have to suffer or live in fear of violence. If the Governor believes that we owe a moral responsibility to Israeli babies and children, then we owe at least the same responsibility to Palestinian babies and children. Their lives have equal weight.
The thirty groups, united in sympathies for Israeli and Palestinian lives lost, are calling for the Governor to issue a statement in support of an immediate ceasefire and acknowledge the historical and ongoing, disproportionate violence against Palestinians.
The letter includes a request to meet with the Governor or his team, a meeting that has been scheduled for Thursday, November 16th to hear from directly impacted people, interfaith leaders, organizers, and local elected officials.
Additionally, the letter expresses deep concern for the alarming rise in Islamophobia, antisemitism, and hate crimes across communities in North Carolina and the broader United States. The groups explain that biased statements and actions by our state leaders may be harmful to the tens of thousands of constituents who identify as Muslim, Palestinian, or Arab and call North Carolina home. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim advocacy group, reported an escalation in Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism that has “surpassed levels not seen in nearly a decade.” They report a staggering 216 percent increase in requests for assistance and reports of bias in the last month. The North Carolina-based groups ask that Governor Cooper take a stance against these unsettling trends by speaking out against hateful acts and centering the voices of Muslim and Jewish voices alike in combating religious discrimination and hate crimes.
“As Governor, you represent all constituents of North Carolina, thousands of whom are Palestinian Americans who are watching their families and loved ones being killed, and feeling unheard and unseen by our state leaders,” the letter states. The groups urge Governor Roy Cooper to lead with the values of love, justice, dignity for all people and support an immediate ceasefire.
At 12:30pm EST on Thursday, November 16th, Muslim Women For and coalition partners will host a press conference in front of the Governor’s Mansion.
The following North Carolina-based organizations have signed the letter:
Carolina Abortion Fund
Carolina Migrant Network
CiMA-Compañeros Inmigrantes de las Montañas en Acción
Comité de Acción Popular
Education Justice Alliance
El Pueblo
El Vinculo Hispano
Education Justice Alliance
El Pueblo
El Vinculo Hispano
Fayetteville Police Accountability Community Taskforce
Migrant Roots Media
Mujerxs Organizando Oportunidades Notables
Muslims for Social Justice
North Carolina Asian Americans Together
North Carolina Environmental Justice Network (NCEJN)
North Carolina Green Party
North Carolina Muslim Bar Association
People’s Mower Lab
Pitt Co. Coalition Against Racism (CAR)
Pro-Choice North Carolina
Refund Raleigh
SEAC Village
SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective
Southeast Immigrant Rights Network
Winston-Salem DSA
Casa Azul de Wilson
7 Directions of Service
Mountain Area Abortion Doula Collective
Women AdvaNCe
Durham for All
