(WASHINGTON D.C., 1/5/2022) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards’ pardon of Homer Plessy, the plaintiff in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson trial that led to the adoption of the “separate but equal” doctrine of segregation into U.S. law.
In November, Louisiana’s Board of Pardons recommended the governor pardon Plessy, whose refusal to leave a whites-only railroad car in 1892 led to a Supreme Court ruling that justified whites-only spaces in transportation, schools, hospitals, and public places for decades. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards issued the pardon today.
SEE: Black man behind ‘separate but equal’ ruling is pardoned
“Plessy v. Ferguson has been a source of shame and a stain on our nation’s legal system,” said CAIR Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell. “We welcome the posthumous pardoning of Homer Plessy and support all efforts to end the legacy of systemic anti-Black racism and white supremacy nationwide.”
He said the American Muslim community and CAIR stand in solidarity with all those challenging anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
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CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com