12,000 Sign Petition Demanding the Debate Commission To Cut Racist Framing from Future Debates
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, September 29, 2020
CONTACT: Anya Silverman-Stoloff | anya@unbendablemedia.com
12,000 Sign Petition Demanding the Debate Commission To Cut Racist Framing from Future Debates
Women’s Group UltraViolet Writes Petition Against Racism in Debate Framing, More Than 12,000 Sign On
As Biden and Trump set to debate each other on Tuesday night, more than 12,000 people overnight have signed onto a petition that demands the Commission on Presidential Debates to cut right-wing racism from the debate frame. This comes after an announcement of first debate topics, in which one was “race and violence in our cities.”
View the petition HERE: https://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/debatecomissionpetition/
This debate topic sparked outrage, as it was a classic anti-Black dog whistle, and played into right-wing narratives that equate Blackness with violence.
Shaunna Thomas, executive director at UltraViolet, explained:
“You know the pervasiveness of white supremacy runs deep if in 2020, at a time when the majority of Americans support the demands of the Black Lives Matter movement, the Commission on Presidential Debates can’t even put out a list of topics without advancing anti-Black messaging and dog whistles that play right into Trump’s racist narrative.
“This false framework, not surprising from a Fox News host, perpetuates racist right-wing disinformation, equates Blackness with violence, and ignores the realities of police violence and white supremacist terrorism.”
View the petition HERE: https://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/debatecomissionpetition/
The petition states, “Every institution is responsible for intervening in this deadly narrative. By approving Chris Wallace’s racist narrative, the debate Commission has recklessly legitimized anti-Blackness and sided with right wing extremism.
We demand better. From our dinner conversations to national debate stages, the way we talk about racism shapes our actions and policies.”
With already 12,000 signatures, viewers and voters are fighting back and making it clear that the American people will not accept racism as the framework of national debates.
# # #