For Immediate Release: Tuesday, December 5, 2023
From the Office of Councilmember Will Jawando
Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando released the following statement related to the Anti-Hate Task Force briefing to the Council today:
“My colleagues and I are deeply grateful to the members of the Anti-Hate Task Force, who have dedicated a significant amount of time, energy and wisdom in the last few months to work collaboratively to generate recommendations to move our County forward in eliminating hate crimes and hate bias incidents. I have been impressed with the thoughtfulness and dedication of our residents, who have provided a great service to our community through their work on this task force.
“This morning, the Anti-Hate Task Force briefed the County Council on their recommendations to address and eliminate hate crimes and hate bias incidents. I would urge residents to listen to the presentation and discussion and stay engaged on these important issues.
“As chair of the Education and Culture Committee, I have committed to holding a session to review the recommendations of the Anti-Hate Task Force related to MCPS. I look forward to engaging with MCPS leadership and the Board of Education regarding the task force’s recommendations and the path forward. I hope my colleagues on the Council will take up the other task force recommendations in their respective committees.
“We are fortunate that our County is incredibly diverse, including large numbers of residents who were born in other countries or have close ties to other countries. This means that at any given time, our residents are deeply feeling the reverberations of conflict happening in other parts of the world. We are at a particularly painful time in our world, and our community, in the Jewish and Muslim communities. We heard that in the presentations this morning, and we hear that from other residents. Please be assured of the County Council’s focus on making our County a welcoming community for all, a place that recognizes and celebrates the dignity of every resident and rejects hate. We are grateful for all who are contributing to that important goal and will stay engaged in this ongoing work.”
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Release ID: 23-407