For Immediate Release
November 14, 2023
Contact:
989-303-2123
Statement
President of Michigan State Board of Education Calls for Ceasefire in the
Wake of The Deadliest War Against Children in Decades
On October 22, 2023, I was bestowed the Dr. Ralph J. Bunche Humanitarian Award by the United Nations Association of the United States of America Greater Detroit Chapter (UNA-USA Greater Detroit) during their annual UN Day event that was held virtually. The award was presented to Family Physician and Epidemiologist, Dr. Camara Jones, and me in honor of our work which is considered to “uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”. The award is named after Dr. Ralph Bunche, the first African American and person of color to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, for his work in negotiating the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and four Arab states.
Heartbreakingly, I received the plaque by mail on the one-month marker of the Hamas attack on Israel. A conflict that has only intensified into a war that continues to take the lives of innocent Israelis and Palestinians. A conflict that has led to an increase in threats and violence against Jews and Muslims here on U.S. soil. As a civil and human rights advocate who has spent most of my adult life seeking to improve the health and well-being of children, I find the death toll of children whose lives have been cut short most unconscionable. It has been estimated by UN officials that in just 40 Days almost 5,000 Palestinian children, including newborn babies, have been killed and over 1,200 children have been reported missing or trapped under war-torn buildings. And with heightening military force and increased Israeli operations in Gaza, things are expected to get worse.
I mourn with the Israeli families who have lost friends and family members. I join countless Americans who are calling for the United States to put every effort towards returning Israeli hostages to their families and holding Hamas accountable for their actions.
Furthermore, my heart goes out to the countless Americans and Michiganders who watch from afar as their Palestinian loved ones are faced daily with running out of water, food, and electricity, and/or getting caught in deadly crossfire while witnessing the collapse of their way of life. To this end, I cannot sit idly by knowing that the history books will tell a story of an armed conflict that caused innocent children in Gaza to be killed, harmed, or traumatized by the nearby bombings while they try to sleep at night or sit in classrooms during the day. Therefore, today, I stand boldly with human rights advocates across our great state and this country calling for a ceasefire and for those in power to push for peace and humanitarian aid versus the proliferation and funding of endless wars.
MI State Board of Education, President
(989) 992-6353
Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement 
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