Over 100 Black women leaders and activists slammed comments made of Black women being considered to be Joe Biden’s running mate as racist and sexist in an open letter published Wednesday.
Sen. Kamala Harris, Rep. Karen Bass, former US Ambassador Susan Rice, Rep. Val Demings and former Georgia Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams have all been floated as possible vice presidential contenders for Biden.
The letter comes as Biden is nearing an announcement on his vice presidential pick. It also comes just days after a Virginia mayor made a Facebook post that read, “Joe Biden has just announced Aunt Jemima as his VP pick.”
Barry Presgraves, mayor of Luray, Va., is now facing calls to resign following the post, which has since been deleted, according to a report from WTOP.
“Regardless of your political affiliation, whether it’s the media, members of the vice-presidential vetting committee, a former Governor, a top political donor, or a small town mayor: We are not your Aunt Jemimas,” the letter said. “The use of the racist myth of a happy, Black servant portrayed as a happy domestic worker loyal to her White employer is not lost on us.
“While some of the relentless attacks on Black women and our leadership abilities have been more suggestive than others, make no mistake–we are qualified and ambitious without remorse,” the letter continued.
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