The Women’s March has been in crisis mode for about a year. Yet, revelation of anti-Semitism among it’s founders (check out this jaw dropping piece in The Tablet for more info) has created a healthy conversation about what motivates the founders of the Women’s March and why they constantly limit the “types” of women and groups that can be a part of the march (no conservatives, no Jews, no groups that might contradict their script).
One would assume Women’s March founders Tamika Mallory and Bob Bland would happily use their time as guests of The View to push back on this narrative. After all, The View has pretty decent ratings so this was a good opportunity to change the story and present the Women’s March as more inclusive and celebratory of all women.
Yet, clips from this morning’s program show just the opposite. When View co-host Meghan McCain questioned Mallory about her affection for Nation of Islam founder and noted anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan, Mallory becomes instantly defiant and defensive—not contrite, as a reasonable person might expect. Watch her response here:
It’s important to note that McCain was armed with some pretty damning evidence. For instance, McCain asked her about a picture Mallory posted on Instagram posing next to Farrakhan at Savior Day with the caption: “Thank God this man is still around and doing well. He is definitely the GOAT” – an acronym for “greatest of all time.”
What’s that again? Greatest of all time? For a man who hates gays, describes Jews as termites, and thinks Hitler was a “very great man.”
When reminded of her slobbering love for Farrakhan, Mallory simply deflected, saying that since she didn’t say those things about the Jews, she really shouldn’t have to answer for another person’s comments—a person she likes to cuddle up to and call the GOAT.
Thank you, Eva Braun. That’s a swell answer.
But what I found the most interesting was Mallory’s reaction when Meghan ticked off a list of offensive things Farrakhan has said, on the record, about Jews and homosexuals and to the specific allegations made in the Tablet magazine expose, where Mallory’s own anti-Semitism and conspiratorial thinking about Jews is laid bare. In response, Mallory stayed stone silent and simply signals to Bo Bland, co-president of the Women’s March. If you watch the video closely, Bland, who had been speaking right before, actually turns her head to Mallory in a clear deference to her since Meghan had directed the question to Mallory, not Bland. Yet, Mallory simply nods back to Bland who then answers the question—by suggesting the Tablet journalists were lying. Once again, Mallory refuses to answer for her own behaviors, her words and her associations.
It was an interesting thing to observe. Mallory obviously can’t bring herself to criticize her buddy Louis “the GOAT” Farrakhan, nor can she deny the charges of anti-Semitism, nor, like a petulant child, can she simply apologize for her statements. Why does she find it so hard?
Well, it’s simple. People who believe in something–truly believe in something–often find it hard to pretend that they don’t have those firm convictions.
That’s Tamika Mallory’s problem. She’s being asked to apologize for her past behaviors and deny her clear problems with the Jewish people. That’s extremely troubling.
In her recent New York Post column, Karol Markowicz reminded us that, “while ‘Black women, Native women, poor women, immigrant women, disabled women, Muslim women, lesbian queer and trans women’ are all specifically mentioned in the [Women’s March] ‘Unity Principles,’ Jewish women are not.”
Until the Women’s March relieves itself of women like Tamika Mallory, this sad reality won’t change.