Union Veterans Council Condemns Racism in Georgia Senate District 23 Race

(Cross posted from the Labor Group)


WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Union Veterans Council, AFL-CIO (UVC), the labor movement’s organization for union veterans, decries the racist, violent and vulgar attack against Georgia Senate District 23 candidate and Army veteran Ceretta Smith.


In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Smith, a Black woman, recounted a call she received from a man who threatened her life while yelling racial epithets at her. Smith says she reported the incident to the police, and that she remains undaunted and will continue to fight to flip her district blue.


The Union Veterans Council is calling on the police to launch a full investigation into the incident and bring the perpetrator to justice.


“Ceretta Smith is a patriot who served our country as a member of the Army, and continued to serve back home as an employee of the Department of Defense and as a leader in her community,” said Will Attig, Executive Director of the Union Veterans Council. “No candidate should be subjected to death threats or racial epithets to intimidate them from running to serve our country. This attack was hateful and downright unpatriotic. It flies in the face of the freedoms that veterans like Ceretta serve to defend.”


“We call on local authorities to launch a complete and swift investigation to hold the perpetrator accountable -- and to send a message that hate has no place in our society or our elections.”


For far too long, Americans have stood by as our minority and women veterans face discrimination and unequal treatment simply because of who they are or the color of their skin.


“Ceretta’s career has been a model of service and integrity. Even still, she is subjected to these kinds of shameful and disgusting racist attacks simply for being a Black woman seeking elected office in Georgia,’’ said UVC co-chair Everett Kelley (AFGE).


Racism is alive and strong. No human should have to face these attacks simply for being a Black woman--let alone a veteran and community leader running for public office in the south. The Union Veterans Councils calls on the entire veteran’s community to strongly and firmly denounce this attack and work to face this issue of racism and discrimination head-on as a veterans issue that can no longer be ignored.

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William (Will) Attig
Executive Director Union Veterans Council AFL-CIO
Wattig@unionveterans.org