WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Congress of Black Women, Inc. is concerned about the safety of our countries just as many others are. We still believe it is our duty to assist Syrian refugees who are properly vetted before coming into the country.
We support the President’s plan to bring the 10,000 refugees who are seeking a safe place to live during the fighting in their war ravaged country. Many will want to return to their country once it is safe to do so, but until then as Black Americans, we must support the President’s effort to do the right thing. American has seen its own terrorists, as we have just seen in Paris, but we must not allow fear to make us shut out law abiding people just wanting to get away from the violence and attacks from which they are fleeing.
Dr. E. Faye Williams, National President and CEO of the National Congress of Black Women said, “Now is the time to show the world who we really are by practicing what we preach to others around the world. We preach to the rest of the world about being civilized and making humanitarian efforts for those in need. We stand with President Barack Obama in his effort to assist people in great need. Those who oppose helping our brothers and sisters fleeing Syria now are among the same people who said nothing when America was terrorizing her own Black citizens for no reason other than the color of our skin. We are far from being a perfect nation now—but we are blessed to have President Obama who works so hard to perfect our nation—and he continually does it against the greatest of odds, the mounds of disrespect and the lack of cooperation from far too many leaders—including some Democrats. Because of the unprecedented attacks against all efforts of our President, we must keep his family and him in our prayers now as we do every day.”