BACK AGAIN

Controversial Women’s March Leaders Back in DNC’s Good Graces

Tamika Mallory spoke briefly during a meeting of the Black Caucus this week, while Linda Sarsour appeared on a livestream for the Muslims and Allies Assembly. 

Eighteen months after seeming to pull their sponsorship of the Women’s March due to allegations of anti-Semitism among the group’s leadership, it appears the Democratic National Committee has welcomed two of the organization’s controversial former leaders back into the fold. 

Tamika Mallory, the former co-president of the Women’s March, spoke briefly during Monday’s meeting of the Black Caucus about the importance of securing justice for Breonna Taylor, an EMT who was shot by police as they executed a no-knock warrant at her home in March. 

In January 2019, Mallory appeared on The View to address criticism and allegations of her team’s leadership of the Women’s March and over the course of that interview refused to denounce Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan—whom she once described on Instagram as the GOAT (greatest of all time)—for his anti-Semitic and homophobic rhetoric.  

“I didn’t call him the greatest of all time because of his rhetoric,” Mallory said at the time. “I called him the greatest of all time because of what he’s done in black communities.”

She later said she should not be judged, “through the lens of a man.”

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Less than 24 hours later, the DNC  pulled their sponsorship of the March, one of many sponsors to do so in the wake of the controversy that year. 

On Tuesday, fellow former Women’s March leader Linda Sarsour, a supporter of Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders with a history of controversial statements about Israel, appeared on the livestream for the DNC’s Muslims and Allies Assembly. 

Her appearance was immediately seized upon by Republicans and the Trump campaign, which circulated a clip where she said the Democratic Party “is absolutely our party.” 

Both women, along with a third leader, Bob Bland, stepped down from the Women’s March last September as the group tried to move past the controversy. 

"The caucus and council chairs come up with their own programming and select their own  speakers," a Democratic official said.

Neither Sarsour nor Mallory could be immediately reached for comment. 

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