The original founder of the Women’s March, Teresa Shook, demanded that the organization’s four co-chairs ― Linda Sarsour, Carmen Perez, Tamika Mallory and Bob Bland ― step down for allowing “anti-Semitism, anti-LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric” to become part of the organization’s platform.
In a Facebook post published Monday afternoon, Shook wrote that the four public faces of the Women’s March should resign because they have strayed from the group’s goals.
“I have waited, hoping they would right the ship. But they have not,” Shook wrote. “In opposition to our Unity Principles, they have allowed anti-Semitism, anti-LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric to become a part of the platform by their refusal to separate themselves from groups that espouse these racist, hateful beliefs.”
Shook, a retired attorney who resides in Hawaii, sparked the 2017 Women’s March on Washington with a single Facebook post. With her, Bland, Vanessa Wruble and Evvie Harmon are credited with founding the march, which took shape after Donald Trump’s election. Mallory, Sarsour and Perez were brought on later to serve as national co-chairs alongside Bland to ensure the organization had diverse leadership.
“I call for the current Co-Chairs to step down and to let others lead who can restore faith in the Movement and its original intent,” Shook continued. “I stand in Solidarity with all the Sister March Organizations, to bring the Movement back to its authentic purpose.”
The organization came under fire this year when Mallory was spotted at an event hosted by Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the religious group the Nation of Islam who has a history of making anti-Semitic and anti-gay remarks. The day Mallory attended the event, Farrakhan delivered a three-hour speech in which he said “the powerful Jews” are his “enemy.” Mallory later posted an Instagram video and photo of herself at the event praising Farrakhan.
Mallory explained her ties to Farrakhan in a News One essay, writing that she began attending Nation of Islam events when her son’s father was slain 17 years ago.
Outlets later reported that that Sarsour and Perez also had personal ties to Farrakhan. All four co-chairs declined to denounce the controversial religious leader after harsh criticism from fellow activists.
Teresa Shook, who first came up with the idea of a Women’s March in response to Donald Trump’s election as president, is demanding that four leaders of the march resign because they have let “anti-Semitism, anti- LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric” into the movement.
“As Founder of the Women’s March, my original vision and intent was to show the capacity of human beings to stand in solidarity and love against the hateful rhetoric that had become a part of the political landscape in the U.S. and around the world. I wanted us to prove that the majority of us are decent people who want a world that is fair, just and inclusive of Women and All people. We proved that on January 21, 2017 (and in the U.S. this past midterm with a diverse electorate).
“Bob Bland, Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour and Carmen Perez of Women’s March, Inc. have steered the Movement away from its true course. I have waited, hoping they would right the ship. But they have not. In opposition to our Unity Principles, they have allowed anti-Semitism, anti- LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric to become a part of the platform by their refusal to separate themselves from groups that espouse these racist, hateful beliefs. I call for the current Co-Chairs to step down and to let others lead who can restore faith in the Movement and its original intent. I stand in Solidarity with all the Sister March Organizations, to bring the Movement back to its authentic purpose. As Women’s March founder, I am stepping up to bring focus back to the Unity Principles on which our movement began, and with the support of all of those who marched and have continued to march, I pledge to support grassroots, decentralized leadership promoting a safe, worldwide community devoid of hate speech, bigotry and racism.”
Mallory and Sarsour, co-presidents of the march, have particularly been under fire for their association with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who is known for sexist, anti-Semitic, and anti-LGBTQ statements. Mallory attended an incendiary speech by Farrakhan in March and for some time refused to denounce him, and Sarsour defended both Mallory and the Nation of Islam.
Finally, this month, after criticism from activist celebrities including Alyssa Milano and Debra Messing, the march leaders issued a statement distancing themselves from Farrakhan while standing up for Mallory and Sarsour.
“Women’s March wouldn’t exist without the leadership of women of color, and we stand with Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory. Women’s March leaders reject anti-Semitism in all its forms,” the organization announced on Facebook. “We recognize the danger of hate rhetoric by public figures. We want to say emphatically that we do not support or endorse statements made by Minister Louis Farrakhan about women, Jewish and LGBTQ communities.”
Then today, in response to Shook’s post, Mallory, Sarsour, Bland, and Perez made clear they aren’t going anywhere. They issued the following statement, again on Facebook.
“We want to thank Teresa Shook for her contribution to our movement, creating a Facebook event named the Million Women’s March. That was the very beginning of the Women’s March, which grew from a Facebook event into the largest single-day protest in US history, one led by women of color.
“Today, Teresa Shook weighed in, irresponsibly, as have other organizations attempting in this moment to take advantage of our growing pains to try and fracture our network. Groups that have benefited from our work but refuse to organize in accordance with our Unity Principles clearly have no interest in building the world our principles envision. They have not done the work to mobilize women from diverse backgrounds across the nation.
“We are imperfect. We don’t know everything and we have caused harm. At times we have responded with hurt. But we are committed to learning. We will continue to work through the good and the bad, the impact and the harm — of building an intersectional movement that our daughters, and our daughters’ daughters can be proud of.
“We are grateful for people who HAVE been with us for the past two years, wrestling with the challenges and opportunities of what we are trying to build. Our ongoing work speaks for itself. That’s our focus, not armchair critiques from those who want to take credit for our labor.”
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“As Founder of the Women’s March, my original vision and intent was to show the capacity of human beings to stand in solidarity and love against the hateful rhetoric that had become a part of the political landscape in the U.S. and around the world. I wanted us to prove that the majority of us are decent people who want a world that is fair, just and inclusive of Women and All people. We proved that on January 21, 2017 (and in the U.S. this past midterm with a diverse electorate).
Bob Bland, Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour and Carmen Perez of Women’s March, Inc. have steered the Movement away from its true course. I have waited, hoping they would right the ship. But they have not. In opposition to our Unity Principles, they have allowed anti-Semitism, anti- LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric to become a part of the platform by their refusal to separate themselves from groups that espouse these racist, hateful beliefs. I call for the current Co-Chairs to step down and to let others lead who can restore faith in the Movement and its original intent. I stand in Solidarity with all the Sister March Organizations, to bring the Movement back to its authentic purpose. As Women’s March founder, I am stepping up to bring focus back to the Unity Principles on which our movement began, and with the support of all of those who marched and have continued to march, I pledge to support grassroots, decentralized leadership promoting a safe, worldwide community devoid of hate speech, bigotry and racism.”
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For the life of me I cannot see how embracing Louis Farrakan and the NOI enhances women’s rights, the Women’s Movement or LGBTQ Rights.
Louis Farrakan is an antisemite, a bigot and anti LGBTQ. It is like having the Women’s Movement led by women who embrace the bigoted leders of toxic “Christian” organizations.
The Controversy started a couple of weeks ago and is turning into an ongoing battle.
To Catch Readers up:
Actress Alyssa Milano Won’t Speak at Women’s March Until Leaders Repudiate Farrakhan
Alyssa Milano, the actress and liberal activist who pioneered the #MeToo Movement, has distanced herself from the Women’s March, saying in a recent interview that she does not intend to support the initiative so long as its leaders defend “bigotry or anti-Semitism.”
Milano blasted Women’s March organizers Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory for supporting notorious anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan, the leader of Nation of Islam, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.
“Any time that there is any bigotry or antisemitism in that respect, it needs to be called out and addressed. I’m disappointed in the leadership of the Women’s March that they haven’t done it adequately,” the actress said in an interview with the LGBTQ publication The Advocate.
Asked if she would participate in the Women’s March again, Milano said she would not, so long as Sarsour and Mallory were at the helm. “I would say no at this point,” she answered. “Unfortunate that none of them have come forward against him at this point. Or even given a really good reason why to support them.”
Milano spoke at last year’s Women’s March in Washington, D.C.
The criticism stems from Mallory’s close links to Farrakhan, whom she praised as “GOAT” or “Greatest of All Time.” Mallory was criticized earlier this year for not speaking out, after she attended an event during which Farrakhan said, “The powerful Jews are my enemy.” Her fellow co-chair, Linda Sarsour, later defended her against claims that she was tolerating anti-Semitism.
“I will not sit back while a strong, bold, unapologetic, committed Black woman who risks her life every day to speak truth to power and organize and mobilize movements is questioned, berated and abused,” Sarsour wrote on Facebook. “I stand with Tamika Mallory every day, with every fiber of my being because she has so much of what we need in the movement right now to win.”
Usually the people speaking out against anti-Semitism are, well, Jews. That’s why it’s so refreshing to hear actress and activist Alyssa Milano call out anti-Semitism in the Women’s March movement.
Milano, who is widely credited with popularizing the #MeToo movement (she did not start it, that credit lays with activist Tarana Burke), has become a prominent activist in the past few years. She was even parodied on SNL for her presence at Kavanaugh’s hearing.
But why we’re writing about her today is not that amazing photo, or her tireless activism on behalf of women, but because of an interview with the Advocatepublished last week. In the interview, Milano said she wound not participate in the next Women’s March unless its leaders condemn anti-Semitism.
Let’s back up.
At a #TimesUp event earlier in October, conservative conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer confronted Alyssa Milano, asking, “You are friends with Linda Sarsour, and both of you ladies have positioned yourselves as speakers and representatives of the #MeToo movement, I want to ask you right now to disavow Linda Sarsour because she is a supporter of Sharia law. And under Sharia law, women are oppressed, women are forced to wear a hijab. My question is, will you please disavow her because she is advocating for Sharia law?”
Milano, calmly, responded, “She’s not.” (As journalist Yair Rosenberg tweeted, “Note how Milano calmly refuted the claim that Sarsour ‘is a supporter of Sharia law’ before saying she would not speak alongside Sarsour until she repudiated Farrakhan. It’s actually not hard to reasonably criticize Sarsour without being Islamophobic. More people should try it.”)
In the Advocate interview, Milano explains she is not disavowing Sarsour for the Sharia law conspiracy, but for her support of Louis Farrakhan.
Farrakhan, as we’ve previously outlined, is a notorious anti-Semite. Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory, two of the four leaders of the Women’s March movement, have refused to denounce him. Thus: anti-Semitism controversy.
Milano said, “Any time that there is any bigotry or anti-Semitism in that respect, it needs to be called out and addressed. I’m disappointed in the leadership of the Women’s March that they haven’t done it adequately.” She’s noticed the silence around anti-Semitism, so if she were asked to speak at the next Women’s March, Milano says, “I would say no at this point. Unfortunate that none of them have come forward against him at this point. Or even given a really good reason why to support them.”
his is a big deal — Milano’s comments have brought renewed attention to anti-Semitism in the Women’s March movement, and their failures to Jews (particularly Jews of Color). As journalist Carly Pildis tweeted, “I have been writing about anti-semitism in Women’s March leadership for 2 years. This the first time a major feminist figure who isn’t Jewish has spoken up and called Women’s March leadership behavior towards Jewish Americans unacceptable. Thank you Alyssa Milano.”
So: thank you, Alyssa. Let’s hope actual change comes.
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