The Jewish Federation of Howard County and its Jewish Community Relations Council, together with the Howard County Board of Rabbis, strongly condemn the bomb threats made to at least two dozen Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the past few weeks by self-identified neo-Nazis. These threats are meant to instill fear of physical harm and even death to the next generation of Black leaders and thus affect us all. We call for the swift and complete investigation of these terroristic threats, and justice for the perpetrators, by all appropriate authorities.
As we are locally focused, we stand with our Black community in Howard County and support all efforts to ensure that Bowie State, Coppin State, Howard, Morgan State, and UMD - Eastern Shore Universities are safe places for their students and faculty. We note that these acts of hatred and racism occurred at the beginning of Black History Month, and at the announcement that a Black woman will be nominated for the US Supreme Court. We do not believe that this is a coincidence and point to other more recent neo-Nazi demonstrations in central Florida and outside a Boston hospital as further evidence. These are not so much demonstrations but demonizations, and we call for local, state, and national authorities to do everything in their power to stop the spread of this neo-Nazi scourge.
The "greatest generation" in this country fought a war in Europe over Nazi fascism and racism that cost over 400,000 American lives. We must unite against these same forces that are grasping for power and bullying their agenda on communities across our nation today. Just as the African American and Jewish communities marched and fought together for civil rights in the middle of the last century, we must again in the 21st century stand together to confront all of these racist acts that are antithetical to the democracy for which our country stands.