Brother Hibernians and Friends, Currently before the Senate is a bipartisan resolution sponsored by Senators Mendez of New Jersey and Collins of Maine reaffirming U.S. support for the Good Friday Agreement. 

Twenty years on, many of the provisions of the agreement designed to cement a lasting peace in the north of Ireland have not been implemented. Now, once again, the peace wrought by this historic agreement is under threat. Several loyalist paramilitaries have recently withdrawn their support for the Good Friday Agreement, one prominent DUP politician has called for “guerrilla war” to be waged against the “Irish Protocol” implemented for the sole reason to make the Brexit that the DUP campaigned for possible; it is another example of their continuing belief that they should have their cake and eat it too. 

Currently, the U.S. Senate is in recess, which means Senators should be back in their local offices.  Currently, 13 Senators have joined them in co-sponsored the bill (Mr. Menendez, Ms. Collins, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Leahy, Mr.Markey, Mr. Coons, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Cantwell, Mr.Casey, Mr. Booker, Mr. Kaine, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Cardin, And Mr.Reed). How much more powerful would this important message of the priority that the U.S. place on the peace process be if it had more sponsors and greater bipartisanship?  For the cause of a just peace in Ireland, we call upon you brothers to take ten minutes of your time and call your two senators as follows: 

• Please call both your Senators
• Their contact details may be found on the AOH website at https://aoh.com/political-education/elected-representative-lookup/ .  
• Enter your zip code and links to your Senators websites will be given
• Please find and call their local office (do not call their Washington Office as thy are on break).
• Ask to speak to the Senators Aide on Foreign Affairs
• On getting the Aide or “Can I take a Message”:
• If your Senator in one of the 15 above who are already on the Resolution, thank them for their support.
• If your Senator is not currently a sponsor, ask him/her to sing onto the resolution. Feel free to use your own words, but a sample script is below:

My name is ________, and I am a constituent of the Senators from (town). As a proud Irish American and Member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, I am deeply concerned about recent threats to the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process in Northern Ireland. All Americans can take just pride in helping bring peace to Northern Ireland and we cannot see that noble legacy squandered or the peace of Northern Ireland threatened. Senators Menendez and Collins are putting forward Senate Resolution 117 “A resolution expressing support for the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement” which is being co-sponsored by several of your Senate colleagues. In addition to voting for the measure when it comes to the floor, I would like to ask Senator (name) to please sign on to the bill as a co-sponsor and help send a clear message that peace in Northern Ireland is a priority to the people of (state) and America. 

Thank you in advance for your support of this important initiative

Neil Cosgrove Political Education Chairman

The Ancient Order of Hibernians, America’s Largest Irish Organization, once again note, that Amazon continues to peddle prejudice for profit in selling merchandise that demeans and denigrates the Irish and Irish American. In a year when the Irish American community is again being asked to to forego their traditional St. Patrick’s Day celebrations out of respect for the health and welfare of the broader population amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, we find the sale by Amazon of items with the phrase “F(expletive) St. Patrick’s Day” inexcusably tone-deaf and insensitive. 

This is just another example of a long and continuing pattern of diversity duplicity by Amazon regarding the Irish. Besides shirts with “F(expletive) St. Patrick’s Day,” Amazon also sells hundreds of items with the phrase “F(expletive) me I’m Irish.”

Another search on Amazon returns a list of 180 items with the phrase “Irish Girl Wasted” and “Yes, I’m an Irish Girl, I Speak Fluent Drunk.” Is it not the definition of an oxymoron for Amazon to sell these demeaning items while simultaneously claiming to advocate for respect and empowerment for women in the tech industry? Amazon continues to sell hundreds of other products denigrating those of Irish Heritage with messages such as “Irish Today Hungover Tomorrow, “Irish, Drunk, or Whatever, ” and “Drink Till You’re Irish. “

As our society attempts to address the challenge of divisiveness in the 21st century, the continued sale by Amazon of merchandise perpetuating the negative ethnic-based tropes and stereotypes of the 19^th is callously irresponsible.

Amazon has already established ample precedent in removing items that other communities have found offensive. Currently, over 8,000 people have signed a petition asking Amazon to remove its “F(expletive) St. Patrick’s Day” and other defaming merchandise targeting those of Irish heritage.  We ask why Amazon is deaf to the Irish American community’s call for the basic courtesy of equal respect and colorblind when the target of the hateful stereotypes they are selling is green?

Brothers:

As we approach March 2021, the fact that our communities are still battling the COVID-19 pandemic will make many of our traditional celebrations of our Irish heritage through parades and public events untenable for a second consecutive year.  While it may not be noted in the mainstream media, we know that this pandemic has hit our community hard.  Many of our brothers and sisters in the hospitality industry have lost family businesses that kept the Irish tradition alive across generations.  Many of our cultural institutions, schools of Irish dance, and music will be deprived of the fundraising activities that they usually engage in during March.  When we finally come out of COVID-19 we, as Hibernians and Irish Americans, must rededicate ourselves to rebuilding the institutions that have kept our heritage, traditions, and culture alive.

The first step in that process is recognizing the issue, the need for action, and the light of hope.  Therefore, I am asking all of you to make an extra effort to see Irish American Heritage Month formally proclaimed in your state and communities.  Sadly, as evidenced in last year’s notice that St. Patrick’s day events were to be restricted it became clear that many of our elected leaders have no clue of the significance of the day; to many it appeared that St. Patrick’s day was little more than a party that could be “celebrated next year”.  “Next year” has now come, and it is only right and proper that these elected officials publicly acknowledge the impact to our heritage and mitigate the void left in their proscribing public celebrations for a second year by them publicly and visibly  acknowledging the contributions that generations of Irish American men and women have made.   

For your convenience as a starting point, I have included a template letter for you to send to your Governor and State Legislators (see links at bottom); please feel free to modify it to adapt it to reflect your local community and your voice.  Given, that mail is often delayed by screening; please consider faxing if that is an option open to you.

I also ask again that you please consider reaching out to your local media to ensure that there is coverage of Irish American Heritage Month and that the contributions of the Irish are not allowed to fade away.  Making lemonade out of lemons, what a great opportunity to focus on the reasons behind Irish American Heritage Month and St. Patrick’s Day and promote the contributions of the Irish in the community, specifically the AOH.

Many of us likely remember celebrations of other ethnic communities that are no longer held; we must take the lesson, guard ours, and build the foundation to come back stronger than ever.

Neil Cosgrove

National Irish American Heritage Month Chair

Example Letter

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