On February 6th, several City of Oakland Councilmembers as well as the Mayor, California State Assemblymembers and Senators will host a press conference denouncing the increase of violent threats and harassment of Black women leaders, including Councilmember Carroll Fife, amongst others.
Research shows that women in elected and public leadership positions change how the government works and this has given rise to increased harassment and threats of attack. A new database by Princeton University and the Anti-Defamation League has started to track the threats received by public officials, identifying women, particularly women of color, to be disproportionately targeted, totaling 42.5% of all incidents.
The Oakland Progressive Alliance (OPA) has started circulating a petition calling on business leaders, civil rights groups and advocates connected to any of the individuals perpetrating misleading, politically-motivated, and/or dangerous rhetoric to join them in publicly condemning these personal attacks. They are also asking the community to step up and speak out when they see the scapegoating of Black women and women of color in leadership positions.
