Montgomery County has a long-standing record of supporting and promoting diversity, tolerance and human rights in all public-based initiatives. In addition, we have municipal entities such as the Office of Human Rights and the county's Fair Housing Program which work to ensure that these values are also maintained in the private sector.

The Human Rights Matter! Campaign was launched in response to the recent announcement in the Washington Post that Beit Shemesh, Israel is being considered as a sister-city to our county. In an effort related to expressing our concerns about the selection from a human rights standpoint, we were informed that the county's sister-city program does not accommodate public comment (vox populi) nor human rights considerations into the selection process.

The Human Rights Matter! Campaign hopes to, through grassroots efforts, modify the county's sister-city selection program to incorporate the same democratic processes (public comment) and values (human rights and diversity) that the rest of Montgomery County programs adhere to.

If you are a resident of Montgomery County, we encourage you to sign the Human Rights Matter! Campaign letter which will be delivered to the County Executive. 
 
Update: Read feedback from Mossawa, "Israel's NAACP" and the founding organizer for the Coalition Against Racism in Israel to the Human Rights Matter! Campaign on the issue.

Read here for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent statement about the gender-segregated bus system.