For Immediate Release: January 8, 2021
Contact: media@colorofchange.org
“We did that.”
Color Of Change Claims Victory for Pushing Twitter to Suspend President Trump’s Account
NATIONWIDE — In response to Twitter’s decision to permanently ban President Trump’s account from the site, Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson issued the following statement:
“Twitter’s decision to permanently ban Trump’s account from its platform is a direct result of our inside-outside strategy and the countless conversations we’ve had with senior leadership at the company over the course of this week and the last four years, since we first launched our campaign in August of 2017. This major victory belongs to the millions of Color Of Change members along with the civil rights advocates, tech employees and elected officials who have been persistent in their demands of the social network to take forceful action.
And while this move marks monumental progress, irreparable damage has been done. For years, Twitter has been Trump’s largest megaphone to reach his 88 million followers, to spread harmful lies about the Census, our nation’s border and the integrity of our elections, and to spew violent rhetoric with the intent of endangering our communities. Over the course of Trump’s administration, Twitter and other corporate enablers stood idly by while Trump rallied his base of white supremacists and used his 280 characters to incite violence against others — a practice that started long before this week.
But now, without his bully pulpit, the direct line of communication to his violent followers is cut. To ensure Trump is truly silenced, Twitter must stand firm in its enforcement to ensure this dangerous man does not find loopholes to once again reach and provoke his audience. We also demand similar action from Twitter against other accounts, both of elected officials and otherwise, that contributed to the inciting and organizing of this week’s violent behavior.
We cannot allow our democracy and communities to be at the mercy of corporations that put self interests and profit over everything else. The Biden-Harris administration and new Congress must create and enforce rules to reign in the outsized power of Big Tech and hold companies like Twitter accountable for their ongoing role in harming Black communities and our democracy.”
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About Color Of Change:
Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force, 7 million people have taken action with Color Of Change this year. We move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more humane and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.