United States Holocaust Memorial Council Expresses Outrage and Rejects Silence In Response to Church Burnings
First Missionary Baptist Church, Enid, Oklahoma
Matthews Murkland Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, North Carolina
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United States Holocaust Memorial Council Expresses Outrage and Rejects Silence In Response to Church Burnings |
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First Missionary Baptist Church, Enid, Oklahoma |
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Matthews Murkland Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, North Carolina |
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The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, the governing board of
the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, meeting in Washington D.C.,
unanimously condemns the burning of black churches in America.
Miles Lerman, the Council's Chairman, stresses that it would be unconscionable for the Council, or any Americans, to remain silent in the face of these destructive expressions of racism and bigotry. "As survivors of the Holocaust, we know the terrible costs of silence in the face of racism. Just as we deplore the bystanders of 50 years ago, conscience dictates that we cannot remain silent today in the face of the hatred behind these burnings," He continues, "We join all Americans of goodwill in pledging our solidarity with the victims of these burnings, in condemning the prejudice that ignites them, and in offering our condolences to the congregations that have so tragically lost their places of worship and community. History demands this response, and our responsibilities to memory compel it." |
"Lift Every Voice", a special program to condemn the racially motivated burning of African American churches in the United States, was held Monday, July 1, 1996, at noon in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Hall of Witness. The program was mandated by the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, the Museum' s governing body, which also has issued a unanimous statement denouncing recent arson attacks against the black church. |