3 Women’s March Founders Ousted from Board; Sarsour & Others Accused of Anti-Semitic Stances

A trio of inaugural board members have been ousted from the Women’s March for what many claimed was their hateful, antisemitic stances.

By Howard M. Riell

Co-Chairs Bob Bland, Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour left the group’s board back on July 15, a fact that has been slow to come out. Instead, the group has trumpeted positive news, like additions to its board. A recent release says innocently that the three “will transition off of the Women’s March Board and onto other projects focused on advocacy within their respective organizations.”

“A diverse cast of 16 new board members that includes three Jewish women, a transgender woman, a former legislator, two religious leaders and a member of the Oglala tribe of the Lakota nation will inherit an organization recovering from a failed attempt to trademark the Women’s March name and fractured relationships with local activist groups and the Jewish community,” the organizers said.

“The shake-up comes at a critical time for the organization. With the 2020 election kicking into high gear, experts said organizers can no longer afford the distractions and controversies that have muddled the group’s message and loomed over its every move,” the Washington Post reported.

“There’s an opportunity here for a group to rise out of the ashes of divisiveness and continue on with the mission that was the Women’s March, and, honestly, that would be wonderful,” Dana R. Fisher, a sociology professor at the University of Maryland who studies and tracks protest movements, told the Post. “There were so many things that were odd decisions, and decisions that made it unclear whether they actually cared about building toward a blue wave and building on the energy and enthusiasm that was built in 2017.”

Women’s March “came under scrutiny after Mallory attended an event in which Nation of Islam’s Louis Farrakhan made controversial remarks about Jews,” noted thehill.com. “Leaders of the group sought to address the issue, but stopped short of denouncing Farrakhan, according to the Post.”

Among the controversies surrounding the Women’s March co-chairs, according to businessinsider.com, “Mallory had boasted on social media of her attendance at an event hosted by the Nation of Islam where Louis Farrakhan made overtly bigoted and conspiratorial remarks about Jews. The Women’s March tried to address the outrage, but its leaders didn’t denounce Farrakhan, who regularly makes anti-Semitic, homophobic, and misogynistic statements.”

“#Bland #Mallory and #Sarsour stepped down from #WomensMarch board July 15 while Hamas front-group CAIR spokeswoman #ZahraBilloo remains,” reported the Cleveland Jewish News. “Considering it took the brand three years, it’s not like we‘ll be shopping there anytime soon. #JewHate isn’t #Feminism,” posted WoMen Fight AntiSemitism, an offshoot group founded in response to the anti-Semitism allegations against Women’s March.”