Friend,
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.
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.
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.
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.
References :
- Philip Bump, “Nearly half of Republicans agree with ‘great replacement theory’,” Washington Post, May 09, 2022, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/355991?t=6&akid=53354%2E1942551%2Ew7AMws
- Christopher Mathias, “Tucker Carlson Is Giving ‘Red Pills’ To Millions. White Nationalists Are Thrilled.,”Huffington Post, April 15 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/355992?t=8&akid=53354%2E1942551%2Ew7AMws
- Kellen Browning and Ryan Mac, “After Buffalo Shooting Video Spreads, Social Platforms Face Questions,” The Verge, May 15, 2022, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/355993?t=10&akid=53354%2E1942551%2Ew7AMws
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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