Senator Janet Buckner of Colorado and her colleague, State Representative of Colorado, Leslie Herod, were critical allies to the Jewish community during their time at the Capitol. Shortly after the October 7 attacks, a coordinated effort to delegitimize Israel at the Capitol, in city halls, and in broader progressive politics emerged. In the heat of this moment, Senator Buckner and Representative Herod worked tirelessly to cool tensions, counter misinformation, and ensure that the experience of Israelis on October 7—and Colorado Jews —were not erased. They took personal and political risks to stand with us in our time of need, including when the Black and Latino Caucuses, representing 24% of the Colorado legislature, issued statements on “Ceasefire and Releasing the Hostages.” While the titles of their statements seemed relatively innocuous, the statements were not. In particular the Black Caucus spends two paragraphs blasting the “ethnic cleansing” and other “war crimes” Israel was committing. Buckner and Herod, members of the Black Caucus, advocated within their own community and ultimately the statement was removed. Thank you, Janet for being a staunch supporter of the Jewish people and Israel.
