On November 10, 2018, Cassady Fendlay, Communications Director for the 2017 Women’s March, decided to weigh in on the recent controversy surrounding accusations of anti-semitism levied at the current leaders of the organization.
In an article titled “Deciding Who We Throw Away,” published on Medium, she begins the article with the following:
“You can call this the defining test of the Women’s March all you want, but really it’s the defining test of white American women.”
Linda Sarsour took a similar tack (referencing the problem of white women) in a Facebook post published on Nov 9 (See link below)
Fendlay, in her own article, plays the victim card–well, several victim cards actually, in a rambling piece on why we should not criticize the Women’s March.
(Quick review: victim playing is used to solicit sympathy; divert or deflect attention; imply a misunderstanding; insinuate trickery by others; emphasize unjust treatment by others; shift blame in order to avoid taking responsibility.)
Fendlay shifts blame to the following circumstances and people for any criticism of anti-semitism levied at the Women’s March or its leaders:
History: Movements addressing oppression are always vilified, distorted and smeared. This is simply to be expected with such cutting edge organization.
White women’s outrage/White supremacy. Fendlay suggests that well meaning white women wanted the Women’s March to be about all women rather than placing a special focus on women of color.
“When millions of us showed up to march, there was a prevailing feeling among women of color, especially black women, that the white women who were showing up to march were not really ready to be allies in this fight.”
“Because of how power operates in society, white people’s rage is a dangerous weapon.”
“This is how white outrage actually reinforces white supremacy.”
The Press: “Even the New York Times went along with this narrative, publishing a critical and patronizing piece accusing us of ‘making white women feel unwelcome’.”
Alyssa Milano: “This moment, with Alyssa Milano, is exactly the type of thing black women were expecting. Alyssa is acting in accordance with the tradition of white women who use the labor of women of color when it’s convenient for them, and then use their power to trash those women when it becomes more expedient.”
“Alyssa Milano is calling for this specific kind of performative outrage, making a public statement condemning a Black man.”
“Alyssa Milano and all the white women lined up behind her are actually enforcing the power of white supremacy through their misguided attempt to challenge hate speech.”
Minister Farrakhan’s Importance: “The demand to denounce Farrakhan may seem logical and even simple, but is it? Certainly his words are anti-Semitic, homophobic and misogynist, and obviously that is incompatible with our clearly stated values and principles.”
“As Tim Wise insightfully writes, there is a history here. ‘This shifting of attention from right-wing, white bigotry and anti-Semitism to Farrakhan is a predictable pivot… And it’s one about which most white folks don’t know very much, but about which black folks certainly do. It’s a history of white people telling black people who their “legitimate” leaders and spokespeople are, or should be, and who among them is illegitimate and needs to be rejected.’ ”