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Ask Your Representative to Support the Right to Boycott and Cosponsor H.Res 496!
Representatives Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and John Lewis have introduced a resolution affirming that all Americans have the right to participate in boycotts in pursuit of civil and human rights at home and abroad. Let us encourage your representatives to join them in standing up for our civil liberties by cosponsoring H.Res 496!
In a political environment where civil liberties and freedom of expression are increasingly coming under attack, H.Res 496 reaffirms that all Americans are free to engage in economic measures to protest injustices everywhere in the world without fear of punishment or recourse. Churches for Middle East Peace upholds the right to find appropriate and various ways to end unjust practices and policies that violate international laws and conventions, including exerting economic leverage on commercial and government actors.
On the floor of the House Representative Rashida Tlaib stated, “the right to boycott is deeply rooted in the fabric of our country… Some of this country's most important advances in racial equality, and equity, and workers rights have been achieved through collective action, protected by our Constitution. Americans of conscience have a long and proud history of participating in boycotts, specifically to advocate for human rights abroad.”
Boycotting injustices in an effort to affect change is a time-honored American tradition that predates the very existence of our country, from the Boston Tea Party to the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the boycott of South African goods in protest of apartheid. In addition, the right to boycott is a constitutionally protected civil liberty that has been upheld in court.
Civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis stated “My support of this resolution was a simple demonstration of my ongoing commitment to the ability of every American to exercise the fundamental First Amendment right to protest through nonviolent actions. As a young boy growing up in rural Alabama, the trajectory of my life changed when I heard the news of the Montgomery Bus Boycott on the radio. My support of these ideals simply affirms the constitutionally protected right to protest, enshrined by the First Amendment.”
Show your support for First Amendment rights. Tell your Representative to stand up for the right to boycott and cosponsor H.Res 496!
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