National Call-In Day 2.28.22

Below is the link for the National Call-In Day to be held on Monday, February 28, 2022 when we call on President Joe Biden to issue two Executive Orders to advance the goals of H.R. 40: Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act and resolution H.Con.Res.19: Urging the Establishment of a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation.

We are also asking President Biden to make mention of his plans regarding these two executive orders in the upcoming State of the Union address.
Here is the link to share with your networks: https://act.sojo.net/page/38433/call/1
Once constituents complete the form, they will be directed to a page with a call script and a ‘click to call’ button that will connect them directly to the White House. Please feel free to share broadly.
Sojourners will send a blast to our entire audience on Monday, February 28, 2022 with a follow up message to go out on the following day.
Included below is the full text of the message. Feel free to use this language as needed.

Letter to our Supporters

Dear [       ],

We could be the generation that finally wipes out the stain of racism from our national character. We have an unprecedented opportunity to put our hope for healing, repair, and change into action.

As President Biden prepares to give the State of the Union address, it’s time for him to prioritize bold initiatives to deal with the legacy of systemic racism and legacies of harm that have pervaded the pursuit of the American dream by the descendants of the enslaved.

In the Christian theological tradition, justice does not occur until harm has been repaired, and our nation needs mechanisms focused on repairing past harms that lead to nothing short of systemic transformation and holistic healing of the wounds of the past. This is why we are calling on the White House and President Biden to create two executive orders that:

• Establish a commission to study and develop reparation proposals for African- Americans.
• Establish a United States Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Commission.
• Establish a truth process by which the United States of America will inform and educate the public about the historical context for current racial inequalities and inequities.
• Examine slavery and discrimination in the colonies and the U.S. from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies.
• Create proposals for addressing and repairing past harm and building a more just nation for every American.
• Identify the role of federal and state governments in supporting the institution of slavery.
• Identify a transformative pathway necessary to achieving the lasting and sustainable racial healing and equity our country so desperately needs and deserves.
• Identify forms of discrimination in the public and private sectors against freed slaves and their descendants.
• Identify lingering negative effects of slavery on living African Americans and society.
• Recommend ways to educate the American public about findings.
• Recommend appropriate redress actions.

These executive orders will advance the goals of bill H.R. 40: Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act and resolution H.Con.Res.19: Urging the Establishment of a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation. We are also asking President Biden to make mention of his plans regarding these two executive orders in the upcoming State of the Union address.

[Call the White House]

The roots of the current health inequities, the senseless murders of Black bodies by white vigilantes and the police, the dismantling and suppressing of voting rights, and the censoring of the truth of our nation’s history all can be traced back to the brokenness of our nation’s past.

Now is the time for truth-telling about our nation’s past. We must address the sin of racism by repairing past harms. President Biden in his reflections on Charlottesville said, he believes “we’re ready,” and he believes, “we’re up to the task.”

The late Congressman John Lewis once said, “Every generation leaves behind a legacy. What that legacy will be is determined by the people of that generation.” I pray ours would be the kind that erases the stain of racism on our nation’s character.

On February 28 call on the White House to meet this moment that will define the legacy of our generation and to advance racial healing through truth-telling and repair.

Call script for Supporters

Hello, my name is [Your Name] and I’m from [state]. I am calling today to ask President Biden to issue two Executive Orders. One that advances the goals of the H.R. 40 bill that establishes the commission to study and develop reparation proposals for African Americans. This commission will examine the legacy of slavery in the United States from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies.

The second order should advance the goals of resolution H.Con.Res.19 which calls for the establishment of a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation.

I ask that President Biden makes mention of his plans regarding these two executive orders in the upcoming State of the Union address.

I am a person of faith, and I believe righting wrongs, healing harm, and practicing restorative justice are inseparable from the gospel of Jesus who came to preach “good news to the poor and let the oppressed go free.” (Luke 4:18-19). Justice begins when harm is repaired. When truth is finally embraced instead of denied or disregarded, we can break free from the moral bankruptcy and mean-spirited polarization that has defined our nation lately.

President Biden believes we could be the generation to wipe out the stain of racism from our national character. The Late Congressman Jon Lewis once said, “Every generation leaves behind a legacy. What that legacy will be is determined by the people of that generation.” I want to ensure our generation leaves behind the right kind of legacy.

Can we count on President Biden to issue the two Executive Orders focused on repair and truth-telling that advance racial healing in America and to announce his plans in the State of the Union Address?