*Kamala Harris may be the apple of the Democratic Party’s eye as their 2024 presidential election nominee, but she looks to be anything but for one organization, in light of a planned “roast” of her at the University of South Carolina (USC).
Newsmax reports the NAACP has joined forces with a group of students from the school to call for USC to cancel the event, which is scheduled to take place on Sept. 18.
In a letter to university President Michael Amiridis, the NAACP mentioned that while it does not endorse candidates and is nonpartisan, it was “compelled to write this letter because of the blatantly sexist and racist nature of the event, the advertisement for it, and the potential for violence on campus because of the proposed event.”
The upcoming roast, The Hill noted, will be an event held by the student chapter of Uncensored America, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated in its fight for free speech. Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes and controversial far-right political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos will serve as the “roastmasters.”
Doubling down on its argument against the roast, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson issued a separate statement, saying, “[H]ate speech has long served as a weapon to undermine the progress of our nation. At a time where we are witnessing groundbreaking history, bad actors aim to cast a dark shadow on those very achievements.”
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“If South Carolina University’s leadership values their black students, it’s only right they shut this event down,” the statement continued. “Our nation’s schools must remain havens for learning, not platforms for hate. It is imperative that the university takes swift action in this matter and protects the campus community from patterns of divisiveness and degradation.”
The NAACP’s opposition to the roast of Vice President Harris roast marks the latest development in the backlash against the event.
Before the organization’s letter, student leaders voiced their disdain for the event via an online petition they organized, which expressed that “[I]n order to ensure an environment of inclusive excellence, we must prevent USC from being associated with events like [the roast] to ensure marginalized students who experience discrimination outside of campus can feel safe and welcomed at our university.”
The NAACP’s letter further emphasized its cancellation desire for the roast, under the notion of the event’s promotion causing more potential harm than good.
“While the NAACP is a staunch advocate for, and defender of, free speech, in light of the advertisement used for the proposed event, the NAACP urges USC to cancel the proposed event, not because of what might be said at the event, but because of what already has been said and depicted in the obscene advertisement,” the organization’s note read.
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