Statement
Statement of Lorna Forde, President, Montgomery County Commission for Women
For Immediate Release: Monday 18 July
The Montgomery County Commission for Women, in keeping with our accomplished record of advocacy for social justice, feel compelled to add our voices to the national discourse during this challenging time in our nation’s history.
We condemn all forms of violence and work hard every day to protect the rights of women and girls who are victimized. The killing of any person is unconscionable. Violence expressed as hatred toward another because of a person’s gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or religion can not be tolerated. We are deeply troubled by recurring events in our nation and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and communities in St. Anthony, Minnesota, Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Dallas, Texas.
As we work to strengthen the bonds of tolerance and understanding through our programming and policy advocacy, we also plan to participate in a series of forums being held on Tuesday, July 19, at the Silver Spring Civic Building at 7 p.m. and on Wednesday July 20, at 7 p.m. at the Up-County Regional Service Center, Germantown. These essential conversations are being organized by the Montgomery County Office of Human Rights, the Montgomery County Branch of the NAACP, the Faith Community Working Group and the Montgomery County Police Department along with full support from the Montgomery County Human Rights Commission, the Committee on Hate Violence and the Black Minister’s Conference.
The fight for women’s equality has taught us that open, honest, and civil dialogue is necessary towards implementing social change. We invite interested residents and government and non-government partners to join with us so that together we can make a meaningful difference in Montgomery County.
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Release ID: 16-011