Actors, musicians, and artists from different platforms have come together to urge President Biden and the U.S. Congress to call for an “immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost.”
Some of the well-known Latine talents who signed the letter by Artists Call for Ceasefire Now include Oscar Isaac, Aida Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez, Tessa Thompson, Jenna Ortega, Miguel, Omar Apollo, Selena Gomez, Lupita Nyong’o, America Ferrera, Paloma Elsesser, Rosario Dawson, Melissa Barrera, Alfonso Cuarón, Helado Negro, Indya Moore, Roberta Colindrez, Sebastian Silva, Natalia Córdova, Elyanna, and Judy Reyes.
Currently, the Israeli military continues to carry out operations in Gaza following an attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7, which led to hundreds of Israeli deaths. Hamas also took approximately 250 hostages. The Israeli military’s attacks in Gaza have reportedly claimed the lives of an estimated 10,000 people as of November 6th, with most of them being women and children.
With the signing of the letter, artists are hoping the United States can “play a vital diplomatic role in ending the suffering” and facilitating “the safe release of hostages.”
“Children and families in Gaza have practically run out of food, water, electricity, medicine and safe access to hospitals, following days of air strikes and cuts to all supply routes,” said UNICEF spokesperson James Elder in the letter. He continued with, “The humanitarian situation has reached lethal lows, and yet all reports point to further attacks. Compassion — and international law — must prevail.”
Artists Call for Ceasefire Now finished the letter with: “We refuse to tell future generations the story of our silence, that we stood by and did nothing. As Emergency Relief Chief Martin Griffiths told UN News, “History is watching.”
Los Espookys actress River L. Ramirez also signed the letter. In a message on social media, she spoke in favor of a ceasefire during a time she describes as “loss, displacement [and] cultural annihilation” of the Palestinian people.
“If you’re black, Latin, or any marginalized identity this is common sense,” she wrote. “You’re witnessing colonization. If you have no land to ‘go back to,’ you know this feeling. Speak up, act up. Keep talking about it, keep protesting.”