SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Dr. Jason Johnson speaks onstage during the 2019 Politicon at Music City Center on October 26, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo: Ed Rode/Getty Images for Politicon)
'Deep Disdain Masquerading as Journalism': MSNBC Pundit Under Fire for Calling Sanders Staffers 'Misfit Black Girls'
"This misogynoir is disappointing, but not surprising from Dr. Jason Johnson," said Briahna Joy Gray, national press secretary for the Sanders campaign.
Feb 21, 2020
Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders, and the progressive community more broadly, voiced outrage and demanded an apology Friday after MSNBC contributor and Morgan State University journalism professor Dr. Jason Johnson referred to Sanders aides and defenders as "people from the island of misfit black girls" during a radio appearance.
"The man cares nothing for intersectionality," Johnson said of Sanders, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, on SiriusXM's The Karen Hunter Show. "And I don't care how many people from the island of misfit black girls that you throw out there to defend you on a regular basis."
"That's where you have crossed the line, sir," replied host Karen Hunter.
"I don't care," said Johnson.
"Racist, liberal whites seem to love them some Bernie Sanders.
He cares nothing for intersectionality. I don't care how many people from the island of misfit Black girls you throw out there to defend you."@DrJasonJohnson on Bernie's staff & supporters. MSNBC should sever ties. pic.twitter.com/abxZKsFhaA
-- Samuel D. Finkelstein II (@CANCEL_SAM) February 21, 2020
The clip quickly went viral on social media and was immediately condemned by members of the Sanders campaign.
"I hope we can have political disputes without engaging in open racism and sexism," Briahna Joy Gray, Sanders' national press secretary, tweeted late Friday. "This misogynoir is disappointing, but not surprising from Dr. Jason Johnson. I hope we can all encourage each other to be better."
Phillip Agnew, a Sanders surrogate, called Johnson's comments "deep disdain masquerading as journalism."
"This isn't analysis. This isn't insight," Agnew tweeted. "Hate to see it."
Sanders campaign national co-chair Nina Turner addressed Johnson's comments during the Vermont senator's rally in Las Vegas on the eve of Saturday's Nevada Democratic caucus:
\u201c.@NinaTurner: "You know somebody said that those Black women who support @BernieSanders particularly myself and our press sec Brie Joy are on the Island of Misfit Black women. \n\nI was thinking the same thing, but Sister @briebriejoy said it ain't island it's a whole continent...\u201d— People for Bernie (@People for Bernie) 1582342941
Progressives outside of the Sanders campaign joined the chorus condemning Johnson's remarks.
"No matter which candidate you support or oppose, there is no place for this type of belittling, dismissive attack on their staff," tweeted the Working Families Party, which endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) for president. "We hope there will be an apology to Briahna Joy Gray and Nina Turner."
"This is completely uncalled for," added Women's March.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders, and the progressive community more broadly, voiced outrage and demanded an apology Friday after MSNBC contributor and Morgan State University journalism professor Dr. Jason Johnson referred to Sanders aides and defenders as "people from the island of misfit black girls" during a radio appearance.
"The man cares nothing for intersectionality," Johnson said of Sanders, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, on SiriusXM's The Karen Hunter Show. "And I don't care how many people from the island of misfit black girls that you throw out there to defend you on a regular basis."
"That's where you have crossed the line, sir," replied host Karen Hunter.
"I don't care," said Johnson.
"Racist, liberal whites seem to love them some Bernie Sanders.
He cares nothing for intersectionality. I don't care how many people from the island of misfit Black girls you throw out there to defend you."@DrJasonJohnson on Bernie's staff & supporters. MSNBC should sever ties. pic.twitter.com/abxZKsFhaA
-- Samuel D. Finkelstein II (@CANCEL_SAM) February 21, 2020
The clip quickly went viral on social media and was immediately condemned by members of the Sanders campaign.
"I hope we can have political disputes without engaging in open racism and sexism," Briahna Joy Gray, Sanders' national press secretary, tweeted late Friday. "This misogynoir is disappointing, but not surprising from Dr. Jason Johnson. I hope we can all encourage each other to be better."
Phillip Agnew, a Sanders surrogate, called Johnson's comments "deep disdain masquerading as journalism."
"This isn't analysis. This isn't insight," Agnew tweeted. "Hate to see it."
Sanders campaign national co-chair Nina Turner addressed Johnson's comments during the Vermont senator's rally in Las Vegas on the eve of Saturday's Nevada Democratic caucus:
\u201c.@NinaTurner: "You know somebody said that those Black women who support @BernieSanders particularly myself and our press sec Brie Joy are on the Island of Misfit Black women. \n\nI was thinking the same thing, but Sister @briebriejoy said it ain't island it's a whole continent...\u201d— People for Bernie (@People for Bernie) 1582342941
Progressives outside of the Sanders campaign joined the chorus condemning Johnson's remarks.
"No matter which candidate you support or oppose, there is no place for this type of belittling, dismissive attack on their staff," tweeted the Working Families Party, which endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) for president. "We hope there will be an apology to Briahna Joy Gray and Nina Turner."
"This is completely uncalled for," added Women's March.
Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders, and the progressive community more broadly, voiced outrage and demanded an apology Friday after MSNBC contributor and Morgan State University journalism professor Dr. Jason Johnson referred to Sanders aides and defenders as "people from the island of misfit black girls" during a radio appearance.
"The man cares nothing for intersectionality," Johnson said of Sanders, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, on SiriusXM's The Karen Hunter Show. "And I don't care how many people from the island of misfit black girls that you throw out there to defend you on a regular basis."
"That's where you have crossed the line, sir," replied host Karen Hunter.
"I don't care," said Johnson.
"Racist, liberal whites seem to love them some Bernie Sanders.
He cares nothing for intersectionality. I don't care how many people from the island of misfit Black girls you throw out there to defend you."@DrJasonJohnson on Bernie's staff & supporters. MSNBC should sever ties. pic.twitter.com/abxZKsFhaA
-- Samuel D. Finkelstein II (@CANCEL_SAM) February 21, 2020
The clip quickly went viral on social media and was immediately condemned by members of the Sanders campaign.
"I hope we can have political disputes without engaging in open racism and sexism," Briahna Joy Gray, Sanders' national press secretary, tweeted late Friday. "This misogynoir is disappointing, but not surprising from Dr. Jason Johnson. I hope we can all encourage each other to be better."
Phillip Agnew, a Sanders surrogate, called Johnson's comments "deep disdain masquerading as journalism."
"This isn't analysis. This isn't insight," Agnew tweeted. "Hate to see it."
Sanders campaign national co-chair Nina Turner addressed Johnson's comments during the Vermont senator's rally in Las Vegas on the eve of Saturday's Nevada Democratic caucus:
\u201c.@NinaTurner: "You know somebody said that those Black women who support @BernieSanders particularly myself and our press sec Brie Joy are on the Island of Misfit Black women. \n\nI was thinking the same thing, but Sister @briebriejoy said it ain't island it's a whole continent...\u201d— People for Bernie (@People for Bernie) 1582342941
Progressives outside of the Sanders campaign joined the chorus condemning Johnson's remarks.
"No matter which candidate you support or oppose, there is no place for this type of belittling, dismissive attack on their staff," tweeted the Working Families Party, which endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) for president. "We hope there will be an apology to Briahna Joy Gray and Nina Turner."
"This is completely uncalled for," added Women's March.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.