The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the launch of the “Emmett Till Alert” system, designed to bring awareness to hate crimes in Maryland.

The alert system, named for 14-year-old Emmett Till murdered in Mississippi in 1955, will work in a manner similar to the Amber Alert system. Black leaders in Maryland will be alerted to racial incidents and hate crimes that occur in the state. The alerts will have three different levels, low, medium and high. The highest level means there is a high possibility of violence or death. The project is reportedly privately funded.

“The first step in fighting hate crimes and bias-motivated violence is having an effective way of documenting and sharing information about such incidents,” said CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry. “We welcome the introduction of this important new system to monitor and raise awareness of hate crimes and hope it will help in holding those who commit them to account.”

She said CAIR and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism, anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and white supremacy

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.