[NOW Actions] Keep Racism and Sexism Off the Air

Support NOW's Work |	April 11, 2007	| Tell a Friend

All NOW Actions More about NOW's media activism		Imus: Two Week Vacation Is Not Enough What does it take for women, especially women of color, to get some respect from the media? A healthy dose of outrage and the guts to call hate speech what it is: Unacceptable. Nearly a week after Don Imus made sexist, racist remarks about the Rutgers women basketball players, CBS Radio and MSNBC television finally announced that they would suspend the radio host for two weeks. Tell them two weeks isn't enough. Would even this minor suspension have happened without the uproar? If groups like the National Organization for Women hadn't rallied our supporters to write to Imus' bosses and demand his removal? If leaders like NOW President Kim Gandy hadn't gone on TV and radio to demand action? This isn't Don Imus' first offense -- or his second or his tenth. He's a repeat offender, and a two week suspension is hardly an appropriate penalty -- it's more like a vacation. Remember, Imus described these young athletes as "nappy-headed hos." You can read the transcript or watch the video online. At an April 10 press conference, Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer and her players appeared before hundreds of reporters to talk about how the team turned their season around through hard work and commitment, only to find their joy forever tainted by the hateful ridicule of a shock jock. Their anger and pain reminded us that racism and sexism hurt real people, adding a much needed element to the public discussion. In this light, Imus' delayed apology, saying that his remarks had been "thoughtless" and "insensitive," came off more like an attempt to get out of hot water than a real sense of shame. And what about the show's Executive Producer Bernard McGuirk, who called the players "hard-core hos" and said watching their game against Tennessee was like watching "the Jigaboos versus the Wannabes" -- we've heard nothing about McGuirk being held responsible. That's why NOW is sending out our "Dump Don" call one more time. You sent over 20,000 messages in the past 72 hours, expressing your outrage to the executives who employ Imus and beam his show to millions via the radio and TV airwaves, and they took notice. But now we need to DOUBLE and TRIPLE our response if we want to make an indelible impression that will change the way the media treats misogyny and racism on the air. If you haven't yet sent a letter to WFAN, CBS Radio and MSNBC, do so NOW! You can use our sample letter, customize it, or write one of your own. If you already sent a letter through NOW's web site, forward this email to your friends so they can take action, too. Contribute to NOW so that we can continue our work monitoring and responding to the media, holding them accountable when they objectify and degrade women, and mobilizing our activists and supporters to raise their voices. Extra credit: If you're feeling particularly motivated, call or write the radio station in your area that airs Imus in the Morning and tell THEM to drop the show. Let's get the message to these media outlets that hate speech is out of control and we plan to take back control of our public airwaves!
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