Civil Rights Leaders’ NO BAN Act Letter

On January 8th, 2020, a diverse group of prominent civil rights leaders sent the following letter urging House Democratic leaders to take action on the NO BAN Act.

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer and Majority Whip Clyburn,

We, the undersigned leadership of civil rights and social justice organizations are writing to applaud the historic advancement of legislation in the 116th Congress. Under your leadership, the House has passed vital civil rights protections for women, working people, people of color, voters, the LGBTQ community and immigrants. As a result of the House passage of the Violence Against Women Act, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, the Equality Act, the Raise the Wage Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act, and the Dream and Promise Act, countless Americans see the House of Representatives as a defender of fundamental rights that are under attack by the current administration and in the courts.

For three years now, thousands of American Muslim families have been separated because of the Muslim ban. We applaud the recent joint hearing in the Judiciary and Foreign Affairs Committees which highlighted the tragic stories of the victims of this discriminatory policy. We urge you to schedule a mark-up and House vote on the NO BAN Act (H.R. 2214), which has the support of more than 200 co-sponsors, 400 organizations and members of the business community. One of President Trump’s first acts of office was to enact a Muslim ban that has cruelly separated countless American families and fomented a wave of anti-Muslim bigotry. The NO BAN Act would stop the Muslim ban and also prevent future discriminatory bans. Furthermore, House passage of this bill would be historic as the only time in memory that any house of Congress has ever advanced a bill specifically to protect the rights of American Muslims.

Congress must vigorously defend the rights of American Muslims. American Muslims are our constituents: working people, women, LGBTQ people, people of color, immigrants, and voters. The civil rights of Muslims should be prioritized along with other foundational civil rights issues we all hold dear.

We thank you for your consideration. For more information please reach out to Muslim Advocates Deputy Director Naheed Qureshi at 202-897-2622 or naheed@muslimadvocates.org.

Sincerely,

Rea Carey
Executive Director
National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund

Kristen Clarke
President & Executive Director
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

Stosh Cotler
CEO
Bend the Arc Jewish Action

Alphonso B. David
President
Human Rights Campaign (HRC)

Rahna Epting
Executive Director
MoveOn

Fatima Goss Graves
President & CEO
National Women’s Law Center

Vanita Gupta
President & CEO
The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights

Sherrilyn Ifill
President & Director-Counsel
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

Cristina Jimenez
Co-Founder & Executive Director
United We Dream

Sheila Katz
CEO
National Council of Jewish Women

Mara Keisling
Executive Director
National Center for Transgender Equality

Farhana Khera
President & Executive Director
Muslim Advocates

Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner
Director
Religious Action Center

Hilary Shelton
Director
NACCP Washington Bureau