HR 40 Letter to House Leadership Urging Floor Vote (from Human Rights Watch)
Greetings all,
We’re just writing to let you know that we just sent this letter on behalf of more than 360 organizations to the Hill urging House leadership to bring H.R. 40 to the floor for a vote. Please share widely with your networks today, over the weekend, and next week. We will be pushing it out and promoting the message all through Black History month. Here is a link to the letter on our website but please feel free to post the letter to your own websites as well and publicize using that link.
Some sample twitter postings are below and in an attached Word doc. Please feel free to adjust these for your own messaging and organization, and also to adapt for Facebook and Instagram. Some photos and graphics and sharing are attached. We hope this helps legislators feel the urgency of now!
Some leaders, activists, and celebrities also signed onto the letter. They include actors Rosario Dawson, Frances Fisher, Danny Glover, Alyssa Milano, Mark Ruffalo, Susan Sarandon, George Takei, and comedian Chelsea Handler, in case this is helpful for promotion. Twitter handles for them are below.
Thank you again for your support, and please reach out if you have any questions.
Best,
Laura
Sample Tweet 1:
Over 360 groups call on US House leadership to make #HR40 a priority; back bringing it to the floor for a vote.
#HR40 would study enslavement & ongoing harms and come up with proposals for repair. #JusticeCantWait. #HR40Now
[attach graphic, GIF, or photo][tag @SpeakerPelosi @LeaderHoyer @WhipClyburn]
Sample Tweet 2:
To build a better, more just future, we must address and repair the continuing legacy of enslavement.
Over 360 groups urge US House leadership to get behind H.R. 40, the reparations study bill; back bringing it to the floor for a vote. #HR40now
[link to letter] [attach graphic, GIF, or photo][tag @SpeakerPelosi @LeaderHoyer @WhipClyburn].
Sample Tweet 3: – Pick your Celebrity (1)
Over 360 groups +@rosariodawson @mrdannyglover & more, urge US House leadership to make #HR40 a priority; bring it to the floor for a vote.
#HR40 would study enslavement & ongoing harms and come up with proposals for repair. #JusticeCantWait. #HR40Now
[link to letter] [attach graphic, GIF, or photo][tag @SpeakerPelosi @LeaderHoyer @WhipClyburn]
Twitter Post 4: – Pick your Celebrity (2)
Voters will remember what Congress did or didn’t do about systemic racism when it had the chance.
#HR40 has record support ✊. House leadership should bring it to floor for a vote now 360 groups + @MarkRuffalo @SusanSarandon @GeorgeTakei & more write:
Twitter handles of celebrities:
Rosario Dawson: @rosariodawson
Danny Glover: @mrdannyglover
Frances Fisher: @Frances_Fisher
Chelsea Handler: @chelseahandler
Susan Sarandon: @SusanSarandon
George Takei: @GeorgeTakei
Twitter handles of House Leadership:
Nancy Pelosi: @SpeakerPelosi
James Clyburn: @WhipClyburn
Steny Hoyer: @LeaderHoyer
Hashtags:
#JusticeCantWait
#ReparationsNow
#HR40
Twitter handles of signatories and active members of the coalition:
NAACP: @NAACP
National Action Network (NAN): @NationalAction
National Urban League: @NatUrbanLeague
NAARC: @ReparationsComm
N’COBRA: @NCOBRA40
HRW: @hrw
ACLU: @aclu
Color Of Change: @ColorOfChange
Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress: @nikkeiprogress
Japanese American Citizens League: @JACL_National
League of Conservation Voters: @LCVoters
National Consumers League: @ncl_tweets
Anti-Defamation League: @ADL
National Council of Churches: @ncccusa
Christian World Service: @CWS_global
NETWORK Lobby: @NETWORKLobby
Presbyterian Church USA @Presbyterian
Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism: @TheRAC
Thank you for all your support.
Best,
Laura and Emma
Laura Pitter (she/her)
Deputy Director, US Program
Human Rights Watch
Tel: (212) 216-1897
Twitter: @Laura Pitter
Email: pitterl@hrw.org
Emma Bredthauer (she/her/hers)
Associate, US Program
Human Rights Watch
Tel: (212) 216-1234
Email: bredthe@hrw.org