John,
We are heartbroken for the families and communities of those murdered in
yet another act of white supremacist violence in Buffalo this past
weekend. Our hearts and minds are with the families and loved ones of
those killed, survivors, and the Buffalo community at large as they begin
the long and difficult journey towards healing.
We have not been given even a moment to breathe or collectively grieve.
Yet already, media corporations, elected leaders and the police are
attempting to distract from who and what is responsible. This attack is
not the actions of a lone wolf, but the result of elected and corporate
leaders continuing to prioritize profiting from the amplification of white
nationalism instead of protecting us.
AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon continue to broadcast Fox News into millions of
homes, where Tucker Carlson spreads racist lies nightly, including the
white nationalist “great replacement” conspiracy theory that motivated the
shooter and is now believed by nearly half of all right-wing voters.^1
Twitch enabled the shooter to livestream this white supremacist attack,
and allowed it to rapidly spread to other platforms.^2 Facebook and
Twitter refused to acknowledge for hours that footage of the shooting on
their platforms was a violation of their terms of service, allowing it to
be viewed millions of times.^3 And leaders in Washington share
responsibility for failing to act despite hearing repeatedly about how an
unregulated tech industry allows hate to be a profitable business model.
It is long past time these leaders reckon with how they fuel the
anti-Black racism that so routinely drives people to violently attack our
communities.
Here are 3 ways you can take action right now to hold accountable the
people and institutions that continue to prioritize profiting from white
nationalism instead of protecting Black people:
On a nightly basis, AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon are carrying Carlson and
Fox News’ racist lies into millions of homes, indoctrinating them into a
theory that continues to inspire violence against our communities. These
companies are currently paying Fox News two to five times what they pay
similar networks like CNN and MSNBC, which means the cable companies are
paying extra to broadcast white nationalist propaganda into millions of
homes. Demand they immediately drop Fox News from their cable packages.
[ [link removed] ]DEMAND AT&t, Comcast, and Verizon immediately drop Fox News from their
cable packages.That Twitch was able to be used to spread the shooter's
hateful ideology and broadcast his violent acts is just the latest example
of how the company has failed to adequately protect Black users and Black
people. Black Twitch creators have for months been demanding additional
protections as well as more public accountability. Demand a publicly
accountable racial equity audit to ensure Twitch lives up to its
commitment to Black creators and Black communities.
[ [link removed] ]Demand a racial equity audit from Twitch. There is a direct through
line between the tech industry’s lack of regulation and their
consolidation of power to the anti-Black violence we saw in Buffalo.
Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have all grown beyond their own ability to
ensure our safety. We need to reduce their power to do harm at scale. Any
platform with enough power to literally enable a white nationalist coup
attempt is a platform that is too big, and that needs federal regulation
now. Demand Democratic leadership quickly move forward with the
Prohibiting Anticompetitive Mergers Act to ban the biggest and most
anticompetitive mergers and force regulators to evaluate the impacts of a
merger on communities of color.
[ [link removed] ] Demand Congress Pass the Prohibiting Anticompetitive mergers act. If
the Biden Administration, Congress, and corporate leaders are serious
about their commitment to racial justice, they will use this moment to
transform the policies, practices, institutions and cultures that made
this weekend’s white supremacist violence possible.
Until justice is real,
—The Color Of Change Staff
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References:
1. Philip Bump, “Nearly half of Republicans agree with ‘great replacement
theory’,” Washington Post, May 09, 2022,
[link removed]
2. Christopher Mathias, “Tucker Carlson Is Giving ‘Red Pills’ To
Millions. White Nationalists Are Thrilled.,” Huffington Post, April 15
2021,
[link removed]
3. Kellen Browning and Ryan Mac, “After Buffalo Shooting Video Spreads,
Social Platforms Face Questions,” The Verge, May 15,
2022, [link removed]
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[ [link removed] ]ColorOfChange is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change.
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