Organizers for the Women’s March issued a call to action in response to President Donald Trump calling former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman “that dog” on Twitter.
“We need more of our male and male-identified allies to call this behavior out for what it is, reject toxic masculinity, and begin to redefine what manhood looks like in nonviolent terms,” reads a statement from the organization.
On Tuesday, Trump lashed out at Manigault Newman on Twitter in what appeared to be a response to the release of tapes she secretly recorded during her time in the White House.
The comment was quickly criticized as “racist,” “misogynistic” and “unbecoming of a President,” among other reactions.
“Women are not dogs. We are not bitches. We are people,” said a tweet from the Women’s March in response to the comment.
The organization, which aims to mobilize women for social change, also noted that Trump’s continued “obsessive racist and sexist targeting of black women” is not acceptable.
Later, the organization released a statement that delved into Trump’s “toxic targeting” of women of color, specifically black women.
“Once again, Donald Trump is showing the world that he is an abuser, levying more racist and sexist attacks on Black women. Women are not dogs. We are not bitches. We are people,” the statement reads. “Trump has shown that he will stop at nothing to consolidate power, wielding it against black women who remain the most marginalized, targeted and penalized among us.”
The organization listed examples of Trump’s behavior with black women. In October 2017, the president questioned the trustworthiness of Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) and called her “wacky” after she revealed unflattering details of his conversation with an Army widow. He’s hurled a range of insults and threats at Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), and once blamed Jemele Hill for ESPN’s ratings tanking.
“Trump usually saves his most vicious attacks for women and black folks,” the statement continued. “This sort of verbal abuse against black women who raise their voices, and far too often for Trump, show up at the polls to roundly reject him, lies at the heart of his white supremacist agenda. It’s not okay, and we will continue to call him out for it.”
Ball’s in your court, men.
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