Washington, DC, April 11, 2023 ... Today, the Community Solidarity and Safety Coalition (CSSC) convened to launch its first CEO-level community collaborative. The CSSC members were joined by Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security John Tien in an online forum, where they were briefed on the coalition’s progress to date and the administration’s efforts to keep communities safe from violent extremists.
The CSSC was launched in September 2022 by ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) and the National Urban League in advance of the White House’s United We Stand Summit, with its founding goals inspired by inter-community solidarity in the wake of the tragic shooting in Buffalo, New York – following on so many other tragedies ranging from Pittsburgh to Poway, Colorado Springs, El Paso, Charlottesville, Colleyville, and so many more. The CSSC now has 26 member organizations representing a broad swath of at-risk communities and will continue to be a mechanism for collaboration among the member CEOs and their staffs into the future.
At today’s meeting, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security John Tien delivered brief remarks covering how the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) works with communities like those represented, and expressed an urgency to keep those communities safe from national security threats such as domestic violent extremism.
CSSC members and the Deputy Secretary agreed that keeping the lines of communication open between the CSSC and DHS is an important tool in keeping communities safe. The CEOs and Deputy Secretary Tien discussed ways to work together, such as leveraging the DHS Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), the DHS Faith Based Security Advisory Community, and other ways to strengthen relations between government and communities, as well as ways our communities can better support each other.
CSSC members will convene throughout the year, including at the CEO level, to enhance strong community partnerships in the face of our shared security challenges.