It would appear that the anti-Semitism of the Women’s March’s leadership has finally caught up with them, as the founder of the Women’s March is now demanding many of the well-known names who chair it now step down from their positions.
Linda Sarsour, Tamika Mallory, and Carmen Perez are some of the most famous activists of today thanks to their leadership within the Women’s March, a movement that sprung up shortly after Donald Trump became President.
On Monday, however, the founder of the Women’s March, Teresa Shook, publicly called for the women and Bob Bland to step down from their leadership positions due to their continued espousal racist and anti-Semitic views, and continued friendships with anti-Semitic figures.
From her Facebook page:
“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.”
The message was met with a lot of positivity in the comments section, with many weighing in on how the inclusion of people like Sarsour was greatly concerning to fans of the Women’s March.
This follows on the heels of the Women’s March being stripped of a human rights award from The Friedrich Ebert Foundation, a German socialist think-tank. The organization was set to award the Women’s March for their work and message, but after various associations and speeches were given that included anti-Semitic rhetoric, the Foundation withdrew the award and issued a public statement denoucning the Women’s March.
“We believe that the Women’s March USA does not meet the criteria of this award, as its organizers have repeatedly attracted attention through antisemitic statements, the trivialization of antisemitism and the exclusion of Zionists and Jews since Women’s March USA’s establishment in 2017,” wrote foundation members. “Women’s March USA does not constitute an inclusive alliance.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member