VAWA, #MeToo, and Ending Hate: Civic action to-do list for 8-13-18

3. Voice your support for VAWA!

Gender-based violence impacts every community across our country, and we must continue to reauthorize legislation to support survivors and prevent domestic and sexual violence. The Violence Against Women Act will expire in September, and every member of the House of Representatives should sign on to co-sponsor the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act of 2018 (H.R. 6545). This bill provides modest but critical improvements that will strengthen housing protections, ensure that abusers can’t access firearms, end impunity for non-Native offenders of sexual assault on Tribal land, and increase funding for rape prevention education. For resources on how to ask your Representative to support the bill, click here!

2. #MeToo includes Congress!

The #MeToo movement helped break the silence of survivors of domestic and workplace abuse, but still, Congress hasn’t passed a bill to reform its own workplace harassment rules. While both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed legislation to reform the policies, members of Congress are having a hard time reconciling the differences in the legislation. Call your Senators and tell them to support the House version that “requires lawmakers to personally pay for harassment and discrimination settlements related to their actions on the job and creates a legal adviser to assist employees pursuing misconduct claims.”

1. Continue to combat racism and hate!

The core values of our country include that p eople of all races, religions, and genders have the right to lead lives free from discrimination, hate, and violence. Yesterday at the Unite the Right rally in Washington D.C., the hate-filled, anti-Semitic rhetoric of Jason Kessler was drowned out by thousands of protesters chanting for love, acceptance, and peace. But, sometimes words aren’t enough. Call your Senators and Representative and tell them to co-sponsor the National Opposition to Hate, Assault, and Threats to Equality Act (NO HATE Act) to ensure local law enforcement is able submit hate crime information to the FBI and increase penalties for perpetrators of hate crimes.