Local faith leaders call for unity against bigotry.
Some covered their heads with hijabs, others with yarmulkes. Some wore crucifix necklaces; others wore saffron Buddhist robes.
But standing shoulder to shoulder, the more than 50 faith leaders and city officials who gathered Wednesday at City Hall each wore a yellow “No Place For Hate” lapel pin to show support for Charlottesville victims and denounce violence and hate.
“We are going to protect one another and we are going to stand for one another and we are not going to allow hatred or bigotry to get a toehold in our city,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner, who emphasized the need to be respectful and inclusive of others.
Organized through the AntiDefamation League and Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, the event comes just days after Charlottesville, Va., erupted in deadly protest, with white nationalists and counterprotesters clashing over the removal of a Confederate monument.
Attendees at Wednesday’s press conference were asked to sign two books of condolences, one for the family of Heather Heyer, who was killed Saturday
after a car rammed into a crowd of counter-protesters, and another for Natalie Romero, a Bellaire High School graduate who was injured by the vehicle.
“If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention,” said Dayan Gross, ADL southwest regional director, quoting the last words from Heyer’s Facebook page.
“Let’s show the rest of the world as Houstonians how important it is to fight hate and show respect,” he said.
Leaders of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths lauded Turner’s leadership while criticizing the response from President Donald Trump, who took two days to call out the KKK and neo-Nazis at the rally before once again on Tuesday blaming “both sides” for the violence.
“We have been dismayed and disappointed that our president has not served as presidents traditionally have as our healerin-chief,” said Rabbi David Rosen, from Congregation Beth Yeshurun.
“These are the times, I believe, where we need teachings of faith more than any other time,” said M.J. Khan, a former Houston council member and president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston. “Love always trumps hate. Light always overcomes darkness. Even a small candle shines in a room full of darkness.”
“Either we are on the side that will starve and cage the beast of racism, or we’re on the side that would grow that beast, and allow it to harm the democracy that we so cherish,” said Bishop James Dixon, from The Community of Faith Church, an evangelistic church in Houston.
The mayor recently asked city employees to assess Houston’s public art collection in light of requests for the city to remove a downtown Confederate monument. On Wednesday, he continued to urge Houstonians to remain thoughtful and restrained, to refrain from defacing any statues and to allow the process to run its course.
“I simply do want to ask, all Houstonians, everybody in the city of Houston, not to allow the national divisive discourse to flow down into our city and cause us to be warring and fighting against one another,” Turner said.
Activists have scheduled a “Destroy the Confederacy!” protest Saturday at Sam Houston Park, the location of the bronze, winged angel statue, titled Spirit of the Confederacy.