The Democratic National Committee has become the latest group to remove its name from the list of sponsors of the Women’s March less than 24 hours after one of the March’s leaders refused to denounce Louis Farrakhan during a nationally televised interview.
The committee’s name no longer appears on the Women’s March partner list on Monday, after march co-presidents Tamika Mallory and Bob Bland appeared on The View to address the criticism of their leadership and allegations of anti-semitism that have been levied against them by former members of their leadership team.
As recently as the morning of January 13, 2019, the DNC was listed among the “2019 Women’s March Sponsors,” according to an internet archive search, but it is not longer on the website as of Tuesday. A DNC official declined to comment on the timing of the removal of their name from the list but the committee offered the following about its decision for dropping out of the march:
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"The DNC stands in solidarity with all those fighting for women's rights and holding the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers across the country accountable,” said Sabrina Singh, DNC deputy communications director. “Women are on the front lines of fighting back against this administration and are the core of our Democratic Party."
The Women’s March did not immediately return request for comment. The march remains scheduled for Saturday, January 19.
Mallory, who has attended events and photos with Farrakhan in recent years, was asked by co-host Sunny Hostin about an Instagram photo in which Mallory described the notorious anti-Semitic leader of the Nation of Islam as the “GOAT” or “Greatest Of All Time.”
“I didn’t call him the greatest of all time because of his rhetoric," Mallory said. "I called him the greatest of all time because of what he’s done in black communities."
Co-host Meghan McCain, then asked a more pointed question.
"You're talking about women, you should be talking about all women, including Jewish women and conservative women," she said. "Do you condemn Farrakhan's remarks about Jewish people?"
"We didn't make those remarks," Mallory responded. "I don’t agree with many of Minister Farrakhan’s statements."
"Do you condemn them?" McCain asked again.
"I don't agree with these statements," Mallory said. "It’s not my language, it’s not the way that I speak, it’s not how I organize... I should never be judged through the lens of a man."
“You won’t condemn it,” McCain said.
That exchange appeared to be a breaking point for the DNC, which joins a slew of former partners and supporters of the march that have walked away from the group this year.
Last week, The Daily Beast reported the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has designated the Nation of Islam as a hate group, and EMILY’s List were no longer on the sponsors list. A spokesperson for SPLC told The Daily Beast that “other projects were a priority.”
Other notable groups that were partners and are now absent from the 2019 list include Human Rights Campaign, NARAL, and Center for American Progress. Less than half of the nearly 550 partners listed in 2018 have returned to support the third march.
Amnesty International has also dropped off the sponsor list, although a spokesperson for the group said it would send members to participate on march day.
“While not a sponsor this year, we continue to strongly support the principles of the Women’s March, and will have a delegation of members and staff at the Washington, DC event on January 19,” spokeswoman Robyn Shepherd said.
