Advocacy Groups’ Full-Page ‘Times’ Ad Pleas To End ‘Hate,’ ‘Divisive Rhetoric’

Over 700 organizations and individuals took out a full-page ad in the country’s most reputable newspaper to offer a plea to Washington politicians to end “divisive rhetoric” and help bring the country together.

MoveOn.org, in partnership with a long list of other advocacy groups, companies, and individuals, shared an image of an American flag at half-staff in the New York Times with a simple question: “Is This America?”

The ad highlights the “many lives that have been lost or painfully transformed in recent weeks through extreme acts of violence,” while also denouncing the “surge of divisive rhetoric that sows the seeds of more violence to come.”

The ad states, “We are better than this,” and MoveOn have launched a viral hashtag of the phrase to help draw attention to the campaign.

“In response to the rise of violent vitriol aimed at vulnerable communities, increasing numbers of Americans are standing visibly together and against fear, division, and xenophobia,” said Anna Galland, executive director of MoveOn.org Civic Action. “Throughout our history, hate has never led to progress. We stand together around our common values of compassion, self-determination, justice, equality, and human rights and against the vigilante violence and hatred that’s surging especially on the American right. Dangerous rhetoric from politicians, media outlets, and cultural figures is fueling acts of devastating violence. We won’t tolerate it.”

Along with MoveOn, other organizations pushing for a more peaceful discourse are the National Domestic Workers Alliance, United We Dream, Demos, Arab-American Association of New York, MPower Change, SEIU, and Color of Change, as well groups like Planned Parenthood, the Center for American Progress, the NAACP, the ACLU, and many more.

See the full-page ad below.