It has been announced that President Joe Biden will hosting a unity summit at the White House next month to address the ongoing rise of hate crimes across the nation.
On Friday, the White House shared that Biden will host the United We Stand Summit on Sept. 15, and will examine the “corrosive effects” of violence on democracy as well as public safety.
Biden supporters strongly encouraged the event take place after 10 Black people were killed at a Buffalo, New York, Tops supermarket in May. This followed a string of violent hate crimes in cities like Pittsburgh, El Paso, Texas, and Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre explained in a statement:
“As President Biden said in Buffalo after the horrific mass shooting earlier this year, in the battle for the soul of our nation ‘we must all enlist in this great cause of America. The United We Stand Summit will present an important opportunity for Americans of all races, religions, regions, political affiliations, and walks of life to take up that cause together.”
The White House says that the gathering will feature various groups including: business executives, civil rights advocates, former members of violent hate groups, faith leaders, police/law enforcement, gun violence prevention groups, the victims of extremist violence and cultural figures.
Biden also plans on bringing together both Democrats and Republicans, as well as political leaders on the federal, state and local levels to work against hate violence. Last year, he signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act and released the country’s first National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism.
Hopefully, the summit will lead to long-term solutions when it comes to dealing with racist and political violence.