Juneteenth: An Occasion to Spur Us Onward

  • June 19, 2021

CFU Press Release
For Immediate Release
June 19, 2021 9:00 a.m. EDT
Contact: contact@campaignforuyghurs.org
www.campaignforuyghurs.org

Campaign For Uyghurs (CFU) is pleased to acknowledge Juneteenth being designated as a federal holiday and joins in honoring this very special day. This represents a key moment in human history, but the importance of this action is undermined by the devastating necessity of its issuance, and a sobering occasion to recall that in order to stop the worst parts of human nature from triumphing, we must learn from history, and retain the self-awareness necessary to act as is required of our consciences in the present.

In acknowledging the dignity of each and every man, we retain hope for the future. As Uyghurs are facing enslavement and genocide at present, and the Chinese regime justifies these horrors by pointing to the greatest affronts to human dignity in history, we are reminded of the vital importance of retaining a commitment to fight for justice. We must counter the rise of authoritarianism, racism, and dehumanization perpetrated by the Chinese regime, and which are markedly at odds with the spirit of humanity. 

CFU Executive Director Rushan Abbas stated “Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, and today reminds me how grateful I am to be in a society where the topic of confronting the injustice of our own dark history remains a central part of the conversation. While we commemorate the Juneteenth today, I long for the day when the Uyghur people will also have their opportunity to seek justice, and until that day comes, we will continue to fight for the end of their modern-day slavery and genocide.” 

 

To read CFU’s press release on Juneteenth 2020, click here

To make a donation to support CFU’s work advocating for the human rights and democratic freedoms of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples, click here

Picture of Jacob

Campaign for Uyghurs

Campaign for Uyghurs

We defend the human rights of Uyghur people and the free world by exposing and confronting the Chinese government's genocide, and empowering Uyghur women and youth in the diaspora.

Donate Now

READ MORE

Forced Labor, Coercive Land-Use Transfers, and Forced Assimilation in Xinjiang’s Agricultural Production
Located in the northwest of China, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region boasts long hours of sunshine and ample water for irrigation — making the region geographically ideal for growing cotton. Cotton grown in Xinjiang, which has good coloration and long fiber, is favored in both domestic and foreign markets.
‘This Has Been Delayed For Too Long’
Source: RFA Rushan Abbas, a former broadcaster for RFA’s Uyghur Service and the director of the U.S.-based Campaign for Uighurs exile group, recently testified at the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in Washington about rights violations in northwest China’s
Uyghurs in Exile Launch Campaign Calling on China to Release Video of Missing Family Members
Source: RFA More than a dozen ethnic Uyghurs living in exile have called on China to release video of family members held in political “re-education camps” in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) after Chinese state media published what it
Tough Curbs on Burials
Source: RFA HONG KONG—Ethnic minority Uyghurs from the far-west Chinese city of Urumqi say authorities attach strict conditions when they release the bodies of Uyghurs who die in custody. Hundreds of Uyghurs were detained as part of a broad crackdown
I’ve fought China’s slow-motion genocide of Uighur Muslims. Now, my family are victims.
Source: USA Today   The world is finally waking up to the ongoing and terrifying violations of human rights against the Uighurs — a Muslim minority in Northwest China. My own family is victim to these violations. As both an American citizen and
Remarks by Ambassador Sam Brownback at Taipei Religious Freedom Conference
Remarks by Ambassador Sam Brownback at Taipei Religious Freedom Conference March 11, 2019 I would like to thank President Tsai’s comments and her for taking the time to be here out of her busy schedule. I can’t help but just
On Capitol Hill, persecuted Muslims unite to protect religious minorities’ rights
(RNS) — More than 125 members of the minority Ahmadi Muslim sect spent Monday (April 1) on Capitol Hill advocating for international religious freedom causes — particularly lending their voices on behalf of beleaguered Uighur Muslims. As part of its
As Countries Seek Trade With China, Imprisoned Uyghur Community Has Become “Collateral Damage”
China’s top trade negotiator is traveling to Washington this week as tension over trade intensifies between the two nations. President Trump is threatening to impose a 25 percent tariff on nearly all Chinese imports after the U.S. accused China of

STAY
INFORMED

Add your name to our mailing list so we can keep you updated about upcoming events, speciality drives, new initiatives and more.