50,000 signatures reached
To: News media outlets, Fox News, The New York Post
News media: STOP racism and sexism in your Kamala Harris election reporting NOW!
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In the 72 hours since it was announced that President Biden was stepping down from the presidential campaign and Kamala Harris emerged as the new prospective Democratic nominee, irresponsible journalism touting racist and sexist dog whistles have already been published. We don't have to repeat the tired tropes and offensive attacks being wielded against Harris. We've heard them all before. When Harris was selected as vice president on Biden's presidential ticket, 61% of news coverage mentioned her race or gender, and 25% of the coverage included sexist or racist stereotyping. It's unacceptable.
We can't let history repeat itself. It's time to rein in the media and demand fair and unbiased reporting, because we know that as Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans lose their grip on power, the attacks against Kamala are only going to get worse. We must come together to condemn and call out the racism, misogynoir, and sexism that the media and MAGA Republicans have thrown and will continue to throw Harris’s way to appeal to their base.
Will you sign the petition to put news media on notice by demanding that they address the racism and sexism in election reporting NOW?
We can't let history repeat itself. It's time to rein in the media and demand fair and unbiased reporting, because we know that as Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans lose their grip on power, the attacks against Kamala are only going to get worse. We must come together to condemn and call out the racism, misogynoir, and sexism that the media and MAGA Republicans have thrown and will continue to throw Harris’s way to appeal to their base.
Will you sign the petition to put news media on notice by demanding that they address the racism and sexism in election reporting NOW?
Why is this important?
Vice President Kamala Harris is a Black, South Asian, daughter of immigrants who has tirelessly advocated for and fought for our communities. She’s fought to raise the minimum wage, to protect our voting rights, to make higher education tuition-free, to reform the cash bail system, to expand access to health care, to hold sexual abusers accountable, to protect our reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy, to protect the LGBTQIA+ community, and so much more.
Harris has a proven track record of putting people over corporations by taking on fraudsters trying to cheat the American people—and winning, successfully going after Big Oil, greedy pharmaceutical companies, and predatory mortgage lenders to deliver wins for working people. This is what the media should focus on instead of racist and sexist attacks.
Unfortunately, attacks against Black candidates, especially Black women candidates, are not new. When former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the House of Representatives, ran for president, she was not taken seriously. When Stacey Abrams ran, Republicans talked about her relationship status, her weight, they darkened her skin in political ads to rile up their racist base, and so much more.
And now, Republicans like Congressman Tim Burchett are calling Vice President Kamala Harris a “DEI hire." We have to call it what it is: A racist dog whistle against Vice President Harris that bigots also use to diminish and discredit Black and brown people, LGBTQIA+ people, and women’s experiences and accomplishments. “DEI'' which stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, is being weaponized similarly to how the word “woke” has been weaponized by bigots. And news outlets stoke the flames, reporting on these statements without providing necessary critical analysis or context regarding the underlying racism and sexism. We must come together to fight back against this.
The truth is that Black women have powered the Democratic Party for years. In 2008 and 2012, 96% of Black women voted for President Barack Obama, providing the margin he needed to win two presidential terms. In 2016, 94% of Black women voted for Hillary Clinton. Black women powered the blue wave in 2018, and 90% of Black women voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in 2020. We can’t sit idly by as MAGA Republicans and bigots continue to hurl racist and sexist attacks and news and media outlets legitimize their most offensive and baseless claims.
Vice President Harris has broken glass ceiling after glass ceiling many times throughout her life. But when trailblazing Black women and women in politics like Harris are put in the spotlight, they are far too often subject to sexist and racist disinformation campaigns, made worse by news publications looking for "hot takes" and social media virality for clicks, views, and money. We need news outlets and journalists to be held to the highest standards of integrity, ensuring that they are not spreading harmful misinformation, recklessly sharing racist or sexist commentary that undermines Harris's qualifications, or publishing biased and unbalanced reporting on Harris.
Harris is a beacon of hope and representation for young Black and brown girls and women, not only across the country but the world. MAGA Republicans are afraid of her because they know she will continue to expose their dangerous Project 2025 agenda that will give Trump unchecked powers to eliminate abortion, hurt working- and middle-class people, fire civil servants, and roll back our rights and freedoms while reshaping all aspects of the government. They are afraid of her because they know she will fight for the working class instead of big corporations. So they resort to racist and sexist attacks against her.
Unfortunately, attacks against Black candidates, especially Black women candidates, are not new. When former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the House of Representatives, ran for president, she was not taken seriously. When Stacey Abrams ran, Republicans talked about her relationship status, her weight, they darkened her skin in political ads to rile up their racist base, and so much more.
And now, Republicans like Congressman Tim Burchett are calling Vice President Kamala Harris a “DEI hire." We have to call it what it is: A racist dog whistle against Vice President Harris that bigots also use to diminish and discredit Black and brown people, LGBTQIA+ people, and women’s experiences and accomplishments. “DEI'' which stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, is being weaponized similarly to how the word “woke” has been weaponized by bigots. And news outlets stoke the flames, reporting on these statements without providing necessary critical analysis or context regarding the underlying racism and sexism. We must come together to fight back against this.
The truth is that Black women have powered the Democratic Party for years. In 2008 and 2012, 96% of Black women voted for President Barack Obama, providing the margin he needed to win two presidential terms. In 2016, 94% of Black women voted for Hillary Clinton. Black women powered the blue wave in 2018, and 90% of Black women voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in 2020. We can’t sit idly by as MAGA Republicans and bigots continue to hurl racist and sexist attacks and news and media outlets legitimize their most offensive and baseless claims.
Vice President Harris has broken glass ceiling after glass ceiling many times throughout her life. But when trailblazing Black women and women in politics like Harris are put in the spotlight, they are far too often subject to sexist and racist disinformation campaigns, made worse by news publications looking for "hot takes" and social media virality for clicks, views, and money. We need news outlets and journalists to be held to the highest standards of integrity, ensuring that they are not spreading harmful misinformation, recklessly sharing racist or sexist commentary that undermines Harris's qualifications, or publishing biased and unbalanced reporting on Harris.
Harris is a beacon of hope and representation for young Black and brown girls and women, not only across the country but the world. MAGA Republicans are afraid of her because they know she will continue to expose their dangerous Project 2025 agenda that will give Trump unchecked powers to eliminate abortion, hurt working- and middle-class people, fire civil servants, and roll back our rights and freedoms while reshaping all aspects of the government. They are afraid of her because they know she will fight for the working class instead of big corporations. So they resort to racist and sexist attacks against her.
We can only imagine how low MAGA Republicans will go to discredit a successful, qualified candidate like Harris. But we can and must demand better from independent journalists now to STOP these sexist and racist attacks in their tracks. The media has a significant influence on the public narrative, and journalists have a responsibility to address racism, sexism, misogynoir, and any biases that can influence their election reporting when it comes to Harris.
Will you add your name to the petition?
Will you add your name to the petition?