An Open Letter to Howard County's Left-Leaning Community Activists, Civic Groups, and Faith-Based Organizations

I wrote this as an open letter to community activists in Howard County who have been practicing selective solidarity, but it applies to any groups who did the same in other localities.

This is an open letter to community activists and leaders in Howard County, specifically in left leaning groups, civic organizations and faith groups. I express this with a heavy heart and a troubling observation about approaches to advocacy by many such local groups. In this instance, I would point to many groups who organized actively during Trump 1.0. Despite promises of grassroots organization with commitment to justice during that era, their silence on certain critical issues has been deeply concerning.

Before the recent elections, left-leaning groups, civic organizations, and faith groups operated largely as arms of the Democratic establishment, echoing party talking points but not meaningfully challenging them. While Joe Biden and the Democratic Party offered political cover for what many call apartheid Israel’s war crimes, these groups did not speak out. 

As President Biden increased funding for law enforcement and the killings of Black Americans continued, the groups remained silent. Even as his administration sustained the appalling practice of detaining undocumented immigrants—often including children— they again stood by in silence.

The Biden administration has also been accused of unlawfully supplying military aid to governments suspected of war crimes. Meanwhile, the “Imperial Boomerang” effect has seen weapons and surveillance technology tested on Palestinians repurposed against communities here in the United States. 

Yet when Kamala Harris pledged to keep building border walls and promised the “most lethal military,” these groups had nothing to say. To this day, that silence persists—despite clear evidence of ongoing human rights abuses both at home and abroad.

Recently, we have witnessed Israeli forces killing hundreds of children using our taxpayer dollars, with no sign of protest or condemnation from these groups. This reluctance to address human rights abuses is alarming. It prompts me to ask: Which values and principles guide your work? Whose interests are you protecting? How can selective advocacy on issues of justice and oppression possibly lead to true liberation?

Movements against fascism and injustice have historically succeeded by standing in solidarity with all oppressed people. The famous poem “First they came…” warns of the dangers of remaining silent when others are targeted. 

Yet, in their current posture, the groups appear to have forgotten this lesson, choosing a narrowly defined set of “safe” issues to avoid alienating potential supporters. But that is not the path to meaningful change; that is merely avoiding difficult conversations.

I was involved in many of these organizations during Trump 1.0 precisely because I believed in their commitments to principled, unqualified support for justice. I implore left-leaning groups, civic organizations and faith groups to remember their values. 

Our shared liberation depends on standing with all marginalized communities—whether they are immigrants, Palestinians, or Black Americans calling for police reform.

I urge them to reconsider their silence on these urgent issues. Speak out against human rights violations, regardless of the political affiliation of those responsible. Embrace genuine solidarity, not selective advocacy. Only then can we honor our founding ideals and truly move toward collective liberation.