ULP President/CEO Custis join fellow civil rights organization to pen an op-ed

February 8, 2021

February 7, 2021

We’re Philly civil rights leaders: We face a common enemy in white supremacy. We must fight it together | Opinion

By Andrea Custis, James Elam, Lisa Finkelstein, Shira Goodman, Jared Jackson, and Eva Porter

Since the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, two themes have frequently emerged in the popular consciousness: the role of systemic racism in empowering the attempted insurrection and calls for unity in its wake.

While unity is an important and desirable goal, it can only happen in conjunction with accountability and change – we must unite not over mere platitudes but with the specific shared goal of fighting white supremacy not only in the form it took on January 6 but also in the many other forms it takes.

As leaders in organizations that serve Black communities, Latinx communities, Jews of color, and broader Jewish communities, we know that we face a common enemy in white supremacy and that we must face it together.

The domestic terrorists who attacked our Capitol wore racist and antisemitic clothing, recorded their attack, and triumphantly marched a Confederate flag through the halls of the Capitol building. This mix of racism and antisemitism was not an accident, nor was its display a coincidence.

They wanted an audience. White supremacist ideology depends on the degradation of Black people, other people of color, and Jews. The goal of the January 6 attack was not merely to assert political power. It was to assert white power and create fear, anxiety, and stress in these communities.  Read more here.