The following statement was sent on Nov. 21 to the Madison Common Council, the Dane County Board of Supervisors, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, Madison Chief of Police Michael Koval, Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney, and District Attorney Ismael Ozanne. We are continuing to accept individual signatures and organizational sign-ons. If you would like to sign on as an individual or organization, send an email here. For those who live outside Dane County, please use this as a template for organizing a similar effort in your community. WFVJ would be very interested in helping you do so! Contact us here.
FAITH LEADERS STATEMENT AND
PROPOSED PROCLAMATION AGAINST HATE
November 21, 2016
On Tuesday, November 8, 2016, the American electorate chose a new president, one whose campaign, public statements, and victory have already brought a significant increase of hate crimes in our country, as well as an intensification of racist, homophobic, Islamaphobic, anti-Semitic, anti-science, and isolationist rhetoric in the public sphere. As clergy, faith leaders, and members of our community, we believe that, as a nation of immigrants of different faiths, we all share a common understanding that our differences only make us better. It is incumbent upon us as faith leaders and upon our elected representatives to protect our inclusive and diverse community where we may all practice our faith traditions in security and peace.
We appreciate the recent resolutions on immigration from the Madison Common Council and on safeguarding the Muslim community from the Dane County Board of Supervisors. However, we believe these resolutions, important as they are, do not go far enough. In the current political climate, minority communities are all feeling under threat. In addition to the Muslim and immigrant communities, the Jewish community and other religious minorities, people of color, and the LGBTQ community are all deeply concerned and anxious for their safety and the protection of their religious and civil rights.
We therefore call upon the Madison Common Council and the Dane County Board of Supervisors to pass follow-up resolutions and take a public stand in affirmation of the values we all cherish, and in opposition to the forces of bigotry and ignorance that would take us backward to a dark and dangerous time. We also ask our county officials, including Mayor Paul Soglin, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, Chief of Police Michael Koval, Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney, and John Vaudreuil, US Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, to issue an official proclamation in support of the values of inclusion, diversity, and mutual responsibility.
We further pledge that our faith communities will continue to stand together in solidarity and mutual support to advance these values. We offer the following draft statement as a proposal for such proclamations:
PROCLAMATION:
On behalf of the City of Madison/County of Dane, Wisconsin, we hereby issue the following proclamation affirming our ongoing commitment to the values we all hold dear, and we pledge to all who live within our boundaries that your county government will stand by you.
We affirm our deep and abiding commitment to the democratic ideals of inclusion, celebration of diversity, and mutual responsibility toward one another. We pledge to stand against intolerance, hatred, and discrimination. We declare Madison/Dane County to be a safe space for all, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or immigration status. We welcome the refugee, the outcast, the stranger among us.
We look to all our residents, regardless of how they voted, to join together in the spirit of community to stand against hate, racism, and misogyny, and to stand together in mutual respect, support, and love. We face great challenges as a community, but we will face them together, as together we move Forward!
Organizations
Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church in Wisconsin
Call for Peace
Fair Wisconsin
Integrity/Dignity- Madison
Lutheran Office for Public Public Policy in Wisconsin
Madison-Area Urban Ministry
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
Wisconsin Friends Action Network (Quakers)
Wisconsin Jobs Now
Individuals (affiliations for identification purposes only)
Rev. Dr. Ron Adams
Madison Mennonite Church
Vaqar Adhami
Masood Akhtar
Joyce Anderson
Pastor Katie Baardseth
Madison, WI
Alderman Samba Baldeh
Rabbi Renee Bauer
Ann Beaty, Associate Minister
First Congregational United Church of Christ
Rabbi Joshua Ben-Gideon
Beth Israel Center
Madison, WI
Vicki Berenson
Religious Society of Friends
Ron Berger
Active McFarland
Joanna Berke
Rabbi Jonathan Biatch
Temple Beth El, Madison
Rev. Jeffrey G. Billerbeck, Chaplain
Bonnie Block,
Member of St. John’s Lutheran Church and the Madison Raging Grannies
Reverend Roger Brooks
Kristine Burck
Lianne Burnson
Member, Society of Friends
Madison, WI
Mary Collet
The Rev. David Couper
Reverend Cindy Crane
Lutheran Office of Public Policy in Wisconsin
Rev. Kelly J. Crocker
First Unitarian Society
Rev. Rafael Cubilette, OSL
Pastor Kirsten Curtis
Guta Cvetkovic BCC
Director of Pastoral Services
Capitol Lakes
Martha De La Rosa
Executive Director
Wisconsin Jobs Now
Rabbi Irvin S. Ehrlich
John Elliott
Rev. Mark Elsdon
Campus Pastor/Executive Director
Pres House - UW Madison
Bonnie Denmark Friedman
Stacy Graff
Elsa Gumm
Staff and lifeServe Coordinator, the Church
Reverend Jerry Hancock
Reverend Dr. Paula Harris
Rev. Phil Haslanger
Pastor
Memorial United Church of Christ, Fitchburg
Rev Dr. Miranda Hasset
Reverend Eldonna Hazen
Andrea Hobright
Reverend Breanna Illene
Rev. Sonja L. Ingebritsen
Community of Hope United Church of Christ
Madison Christian Community
Asif Iqbal
Gwen Costa Jacobsohn
Alhagie Jallow
Imam
Madinah Community Center
Julie James
The Very Rev. Andy Jones
Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church
Rev. Tim Kehl
United Church of Christ, retired
Linda Ketcham
Executive Director
Madison-Area Urban Ministry
Saad Khalifa
Donna Kirschenmann
Member, Society of Friends
Madison, WI
Laura Komai
Diane Kravitz
Reverend Tina Lang
First United Methodist Church
Madison, WI
Ellen Lindgren
Louise Lund
Kate MacCrimmon
Doctoral Student - UW-Madison
Rev. Jason Mack
Minister of Community
First Baptist Church
Madison, WI
Abdullah Mahmood
Rabbi Bonnie Margulis
President
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
Reverend Scott Marrese-Wheeler
The Rev. Staci Marrese-Wheeler
Kathy Mazur
Tim Mazur
Megin McDonell
Executive Director
Fair Wisconsin
Sr. Maureen McDonnell, O.P.
Cathy Miller
Kaisa Miller
Neal Miller
Rev. Jerry L. Mosser
Affiliated with the First Unitarian Society of Madison
Mike Murray
Reverend Martha Nack
Moniba Nazeef
Lewy Olfson
Member, Society of Friends
Madison, WI
The Rev. Katya Ouchakof
Pastor
Lake Edge Lutheran Church
Rev. Kathleen Owens
Pastor
First Presbyterian Church
Oregon
Reverend Kerri Parker
McFarland United Church of Christ
Gloria Peterson
Judith Pierotti
Audra Prebish
Reverend Michael Rehak
Rev. Glen Reichelderfer
Associate Pastor
Christ Presbyterian Church
The Rev. Blake Rohrer
Midvale Community Lutheran Church – ELCA
Cemile Sahin
Abdiwahid Said
The Rev. Jessica C. Scholten
Interim Pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church
The Rev. Dr. Michael A. Schuler
First Unitarian Society of Madison
Eric Severson
Ministerial Intern
First Unitarian Society
Pastor Larry L. Sexe
Pastor of Deerfield Lutheran Church ELCA
Abdi Sheikh
Brad Sherman
Reverend Pat Siegler
Sohail Siraj
Sherie Sondel
Co-chair
Temple Beth El Social Action Committee
Yusuf Tunkara
The Rev. Nick Utphall
Advent Lutheran / Madison Christian Community
Rev. Brad Van Fossen
Monona United Methodist Church
Katherine van Wormer
Professor of Social Work
Member, Society of Friends
Madison, WI
Clare Wagner, O.P.
Ann Marie Waterhouse
Reverend Doctor Julia Weaver
Dane County Jail Chaplain
Abdullah Yavas
Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman
Congregation Shaarei Shamayim
Business Supporters
Anthology
218 State St.
Madison, WI