Women's March founder accuses co-chairs of anti-Semitism and anti-LGBTQ ideas, asks them to resign

On Monday, Women’s March founder Teresa Shook wrote a Facebook post calling for the resignation of the organization’s co-chairs, Bob Bland, Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour, and Carmen Perez. Shook claims that they have allowed the Women’s March to become adjacent to anti-LGBTQ and anti-Semitic rhetoric. She feels that these four co-chairs are “steering the movement away from its true course.”

The co-chairs responded on the Women’s March Facebook page, suggesting that Shook was trying “to take advantage of our growing pains to try and fracture our network.”

To recap, the Women’s March started up in response to Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017. While Shook created it via a Facebook post, many “sister” branches of the march have since formed. It’s even gone international, too. 

What specifically has caused a rift between the co-chairs? As reported by CNN, Mallory and Perez have attended events that featured Nation of Islam head Louis Farrakhan. Farrakhan has made anti-Semitic and homophobic comments throughout his career. Sarsour spoke at a rally in 2015 that Farrakhan headlined. 

Ultimately, no movement is defined entirely by the beliefs or words of a handful of people. The Women’s March has inspired women, non-binary people, and allies across the globe to mobilize and work together on some really, really important common goals. While it’s always important to hold each other accountable, especially for people in leadership roles, movements should never be reduced to the words of a few people.