National Urban League Responds to Jacksonville Shooting
NEW YORK (August 26,2023) — National Urban League President and CEO Marc H Morial issued the following statement in response to the racially-motivated mass shooting in Jacksonville today:
“On behalf of the National Urban League and Richard Danford, President and CEO of the Jacksonville Urban League, I extend our deepest sympathy to the families and survivors of this atrocity. We pray for healing in the community.
“That such an inhumane act of racial hatred should occur on a day that was dedicated to unity and peace is doubly heartbreaking. As tens of thousands of Americans gathered to honor the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington and call for an end to gun violence, a twisted mind in Florida amplified the urgency of our plea.
“Fanning the flames of racial resentment for political gain has deadly consequences when those so inflamed have nearly unfettered access to high-powered weapons of war. At some point we must recognize that the lack of even the most basic effort to prevent racial terrorism is indistinguishable from encouraging it. “