Eliminate Racist, Misogynistic, Violent Words and Images from the Airways and Other Public Media

WHEREAS, after more than 300 years of hateful violence and sexual abuse of African Americans, especially African American women by white slave owners; and

WHEREAS, racial and sexual violence against African Americans continued in post-slavery years where lynching of thousands of African Americans became a public spectacle and a national disgrace; and

WHEREAS, racism and sexism have continued to deprive African Americans of equal treatment and equal opportunity in every aspect of life in these United States by laws and by practice, relegating far too many African Americans to substandard health care, substandard housing, substandard education, substandard or no employment and substandard citizenship rights; and

WHEREAS, this racism and sexism is perpetuated by the constant portrayal of African Americans as ignorant, violent, vulgar, lazy, immoral, criminal, and sexual freaks with no redeeming positive qualities except to entertain or provide revenue for the prison industrial complex; and

WHEREAS, the media and other public airways, as well as the. internet, convey these negative racist and sexist dangerous images and stereotypes on a regular and ongoing basis in talk shows, infotainment, music videos, and comedy shows; and

WHEREAS, these racist and misogynistic words and images perpetuate hate, disrespect, and even provoke violence, especially against African American women, whether it is produced or promoted by other African Americans or anyone else; and

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that all NAACP Units petition their local radio and television stations to discontinue playing recordings that contain hateful, sexist and racist words; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that they petition all retail outlets that sell recordings, videos, and video games that contain hateful, violent, and misogynistic material to remove such items from public display and require proof that a buyer is 18 years of age or older; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all NAACP Units petition their ideal and state legislative bodies to levy fines of a substantial amount against merchants who fail to label such items as adult material not to be sold to minors; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that all NAACP Units petition, lobby and demonstrate to have all state and local pension funds divested from media and other companies that develop, promote, or air this reprehensible material, and that from this day forward, no purveyor of said reprehensible material, be they writer, producer, artist or performer, promoter, manufacturer, distributor, retailer, broadcaster, or contractor or employee of any of the aforementioned or other types of purveyors of said reprehensible material, be eligible for or recipient of an NAACP award of any kind.