Reps. Bush, Tlaib, Jackson, Bowman Join Hunger Strikers Outside White House to Demand a Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza
WATCH: Members of Congress join award-winning actors Cynthia Nixon and Denée Benton, activists in press conference and candlelight vigil on third day of hunger strike outside the White House
Washington D.C. (Dec. 1, 2023) — Wednesday night, Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) alongside Representatives Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), and Jonathan Jackson (IL-01) joined actors Cynthia Nixon and Denée Benton, state legislators, and community leaders on hunger strike outside the White House to demand that President Biden call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The Members of Congress stood with hunger strikers yesterday evening as they spoke about the urgent need for President Biden to call for a permanent ceasefire to save lives.
“You shouldn’t have to go on a hunger strike in order to demand the US government facilitate a permanent ceasefire. You shouldn’t have to starve yourselves, in order to tell the US government to end its complicity in the starving of millions of people in Gaza. You shouldn't have to risk your health and your wellbeing in order to draw attention to the tens of thousands of people who have been killed and who continue to be killed if we don’t enact a permanent ceasefire now," said Congresswoman Bush. “There are many Palestinians tonight who may be eating their last meal, who may be meeting with family members for the last time.”
“When my colleagues and I first called for a ceasefire, in the building behind us they called us ‘repugnant’ and ‘disgraceful.’ Well, let me just say this: the bombing of innocent civilians and children is repugnant and disgraceful. The refusal to support a ceasefire and an end to this violence and killing is repugnant and disgraceful. Our President calling on Congress to fund more bombs that are being dropped on innocent civilians is repugnant and disgraceful,” said Congresswoman Tlaib. “When this pause in the violence expires, I will once again ask my colleagues: How many more lives will be enough? How many more children have to be killed? How many more families have to be traumatized and torn apart?”
“We demand a permanent ceasefire. And the reason is simple. We are against mass murder. We are against genocide. We are against ethnic cleansing. We are against the continued slaughter of civilians. We are against the mass murder of children. And we are for peace. We are for justice. We are for equality. We are for self determination. We are for love. We are for human rights. And we are for our shared humanity. That’s it. It’s that simple,” said Congressman Bowman. “I feel that the democratic values that we celebrate as a country are rotten and corrupted at this moment. And the democratic values that we demand of our allies are rotten and corrupted. Where is our moral compass?”
“To cut off the water, to cut off electricity, to cut off the food supply – that should give us all moral outrage,” said Congressman Jackson. “ Too many children have died. Too many innocents are suffering as we speak. We’re demanding an end to this act of vengeance and war.”
Following the press conference, Congresswoman Tlaib led her colleagues in Congress and hunger strikers in a reading of names of hundreds of Palestinians killed over the past several weeks as part of a candlelight vigil to honor each life lost and each universe extinguished.
Photographs from the hunger strike launch are available HERE - please credit Eman Mohammed. High-resolution photos from last night’s press conference and vigil are available HERE - credit Eman Mohammed. View video of the press conference HERE.
“One of the most important things that has been done since October 7th is we have continued to center the humanity of those people who have died, and been taken prisoner: so that we understand it is not just a number, it’s a person. These are people, who are mothers, and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, who have full lives. One of the most important things we can do right now is to continue to center the humanity of all of the Israelis and all of the Palestinians who have been affected and killed and taken prisoner,” said actor and activist Cynthia Nixon.
Today’s actions were part of a series of programming throughout the 5-day hunger strike following its launch on Monday. On Tuesday, Jewish Americans with Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow including Phyllis Bennis (Jewish writer and activist), Beth Miller (Political Director of Jewish Voice for Peace Action), and Eva Borgwardt (National Spokesperson for IfNotNow) joined the hunger strike to lead a “Day of Jewish Solidarity”.
Throughout the week, the hunger strike will feature or have featured the attendance of diverse elected officials, activists, and community leaders including: Cynthia Nixon (actor and activist); Denée Benton (actor and singer); New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani; Delaware State Representative Madinah Wilson-Anton; Michigan State Representative Abraham Aiyash; Oklahoma State Representative Mauree Turner; Virginia State Representative Sam Rasoul; Rana Abdelhamid (organizer and former Congressional candidate in NY-12); Amani Al-Khatahtbeh (founder of Muslim Girl); Linda Sarsour (organizer and activist); Sumaya Awad (activist, writer, and Director of Strategy & Communications at Adalah Justice Project), Iman Abid-Thompson (Director of Advocacy & Organizing at the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights - USCPR), and other prominent faith and community leaders.
National endorsing organizations of the hunger strike include U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), Adalah Justice Project (AJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Dream Defenders, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), IfNotNow, Faith For Black Lives, and Center for Popular Democracy (CPD).
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