Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Update and THANK YOU…


I would like to thank everyone who stepped up to express outrage over the racist billboard placed by Missouri Right to Life in St. Louis city!

Y’all have flooded my email inbox with calls for action and to share your outrage – my heart is filled with pride that so many people share my disgust over this outrageous slander against black women.

I would like to specifically commend Gateway Outdoor Advertising for swiftly responding to calls for the billboard advertisement to be removed. Although Gateway Outdoor Advertising is listed on the side of the billboard, they confirmed yesterday that they are no longer the owner. The following comment was also made to my post about the billboard
cheard@gatewayoutdoor.com said...
I am the President of Gateway Outdoor Advertising and we do NOT own this billboard. The City of St Louis confirmed this yesterday. The billboard was taken over by John Drochelman (Catalyst Investments) of St Louis in 2008.
This poster is a disgrace and the owner should remove it immediately and remove our logo still on one side of the billboard.
And no, Gateway Outdoor Advertising has not contacted me on this matter again or asked me to clarify.  

I just want to acknowledge Gateway for their quick response and for calling this ad what it is – a disgrace. Hopefully their name will be removed soon so that folks don’t continue to associate them with this outrageous campaign.

We are in the midst of organizing to fight this campaign here in Missouri.

I will let y’all know as soon as things are in place.

But trust that people are not fooled.

It walks like it and talks like it and people see it for what it is – a disgraceful indefensible racist ad.

Stay tuned…

8 comments:

Denise said...

*salutes*

I will continue to ardently support your efforts there in STL, and will work to keep you posted when I see this swill elsewhere (because it's here in ATL, too).

Anonymous said...

I am a voyeur in most cases and only get angry enough to sound off if its local. Not this time. I clicked on your link to the 'Right to Slam' website and sent them an email:

Your new campaign is a disgrace. Love your neighbor as your self. You must not love your selves at all. You have my pity.

May you grow in God’s grace and love so that you may perceive the light of the Divine in your own being.

I hope someone there gets a clue. Those idiots.

Props to you for putting it out there!

cheard@gatewayoutdoor.com said...

We removed our LOGO and ID Tag yesterday.....according to our employee in St. Louis.

I hope the owner does the right thing and takes the poster down.

Soudns like a Hate crime to me.

Craig

Shark-Fu said...

No, health care clinics that provide abortion services are not predominately located in black neighborhoods. http://bit.ly/ey6lI7

Fact – if black people chose to not use things or services invented by racists we wouldn’t get out of bed in the morning. Racism is this nation’s stain – just look at Henry Ford’s biography, for the love of things we use that were invented and or managed by a rancid bigot.

Exploring health care disparities and the real issues surrounding black women and our reproductive health care would be a welcome change. http://bit.ly/UAFUG

Claiming that black women are genocidal and violent “for our own good” is just a continuation of the same overt disrespect we so often encounter from those who claim to want to help us. FYI – this ain’t the first time y’all have tried to make the case that black women are somehow incapable of making decisions whether to have children, how to have children and how to raise the children we have in quite another.

Regardless of where you stand on abortion, this campaign is racist.

As a matter of fact, if you are opposed to abortion rights then you should denounce the hell out of this campaign. It does little to further that cause.

Do as you will, but know this – attempts to fundraise through campaigns that attack the humanity of all black women and double down on this nation’s rancid history of defining all black women as violent, unhinged and unworthy of respect or rights will be met with condemnation, disgust and contempt.

You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

And don’t EVEN think I’m gonna start debating my worth or worthiness of respect up in this comment section.

I am a black woman – I know exactly what I’m worth, how outstanding my sisterhood is, and where the real danger lurks.

Get thee gone.

Anonymous said...

Bravo!

Anonymous said...

So proud of you and your will to fight power!!! This is indeed a disgrace, and makes me want to weep. Thank you for drawing our attention to the continuing campaign against women of color, and what it says about us as a nation.

Brian M said...

Thank you and good work Shark!

Peregrin said...

http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Drochelman/34307424

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