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Last Updated on February 2, 2021.

Win Without War, along with 39 other progressive partners, sent a letter to the House of Representatives today urging support for H.Res. 496, the resolution led by Reps. Ilhan Omar, John Lewis, and Rashida Tlaib, that affirms all Americans’ right to boycott.

This resolution is the first measure of its kind recognizing the historical importance of boycotts in advancing human rights and justice both at home and abroad. From the economic boycotts of apartheid South Africa to the Montgomery Bus boycotts against racial segregation, boycotts are a time-honored tool of political expression and social change that Congress should be defending – rather than seeking to criminalize this constitutionally-protected exercise of political beliefs it does not agree with.

This resolution is crucial especially now in the aftermath of the restrictions that were placed on Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar’s travel to Israel, due to their political views and support of a social movement utilizing the right to boycott.

In this era of rising authoritarianism around the world, there is a global divide between those who believe in freedom and equality for all, and those who justify repression on racial and religious supremacy. At a time when political expression is under attack both at home and abroad, it is imperative that Congress stand on the side of justice by affirming the right to boycott unjust policies that undermine equality and dignity for all no matter where these injustices occur.

You can read the letter below or linked here as a PDF.

— Letter to Congress: Support the Right to Boycott —

September 10, 2019

Dear Members of Congress, 

We, the undersigned organizations, write to express our strong support for H. Res. 496, a resolution affirming that all Americans have a constitutional right to participate in boycotts in pursuit of civil and human rights at home and abroad. 

The Supreme Court recognized that, under the First Amendment of the Constitution, “persons sharing common views banding together to achieve a common end is deeply embedded in the American political process” (NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Co., 458 U.S. 886 (1982)). A long line of U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence upholds expressive conduct and criticism of government as the very core of First Amendment-protected activity. 

Boycotts have been central to dismantling systems of injustice both at home and abroad. In defense of this vital right to boycott for justice, H. Res. 496 outlines the long and proud history of boycott as a vehicle for social change in the U.S., from the Boston Tea Party to the Montgomery bus boycott and the United Farm Workers-led boycott of table grapes, to the contemporary boycott of North Carolina over anti-trans legislation. The resolution further reaffirms Americans’ right to boycott in protest of the unjust policies of foreign governments, from the boycott of South African goods in opposition to apartheid in the 1980s to boycotts related to Israel’s violations of Palestinian human rights today. Three federal courts have recently agreed that such boycotts are protected political expression. 

This resolution’s affirmation of these rights comes at this critical moment in our history: in the midst of ongoing organized efforts to stifle political expression, including pending legislation in Congress and measures to repress boycotts for Palestinian rights on the books in 27 states. More than 100 state-level anti-protest bills have been introduced. These repressive measures come at the same time as prosecution of human rights defenders, from water protectors to those protesting Trump’s inauguration – all for exercising their First Amendment rights.

At a moment when freedom of speech, association, and assembly are coming under increasing attack across the board, affirming our right to boycott is more important than ever. We must stand strong against all attempts to suppress protected political speech. The need for this resolution has become ever more clear with the recent restrictions placed on two of your own colleagues to travel to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories due to their support for this time-honored and constitutionally protected right to boycott. 

We call on you to support this important resolution by becoming a co-sponsor of H. Res. 496, thereby affirming the importance of the right to boycott for social change.

Thank you in advance for your attention to this urgent issue.

Sincerely,

American Friends Service Committee

Arab American Civic Council

Center for Constitutional Rights

Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)

Center for International Policy

Civil Liberties Defense Center

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

CREDO

Defending Rights & Dissent

Demand Progress

Democratic Socialists of America

EarthRights International

Freedom Forward

Freedom to Thrive

Friends of Sabeel North America

Greenpeace USA

If Not Now

Jewish Voice for Peace

Million Hoodies Movement for Justice

MPower Change

Muslim Justice League

Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)

National Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI) 

National Lawyers Guild

National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund

Palestine Legal

Presbyterian Church USA

Presbyterian Peace Fellowship

Presente.org

Project South

Revolutionary Love Project

Society of Native Nations 

South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)

The Red Nation

Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center

United We Dream

United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries

US Campaign for Palestinian Rights

Water Protector Legal Collective

Win Without War

September 10, 2019