BLM Chapter Leader's Comments On Vaccine Mandates Were Taken Out of Context
The Claim
Black Lives Matter believes New York City’s vaccine mandate is racist.
News posted on
Emerging story
A number of social media posts have claimed that either the Black Lives Matter organization or a leader of Black Lives Matter has called New York City’s vaccine mandate racist. They also claim that Black Lives Matter activists will oppose the mandate.
These social media posts have gained a significant amount of interactions. Some posts have gained hundreds or even thousands of likes to date.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found that it is incorrect to claim that the overall Black Lives Matter organization is opposed to New York City’s vaccine mandate. The official Black Lives Matter website has not made any statement upon NYC’s vaccine mandate. Instead, a co-founder of New York City’s chapter of Black Lives Matter, Chivona Newsome, implied that the city’s vaccine mandate targets the black community.
“Seventy-two percent of black people in this city from ages 18 to 44 are unvaccinated,” Newsome said during a protest. “So what is going to stop the Gestapo, I mean the NYPD, from rounding up black people, from snatching them off the train, off the bus?… We will not allow for you to use this pandemic, vaccination cards, and masks as another reason to be racist, to put us in prison."
The statements by Newsome came after an incident at a restaurant in New York City in which a hostess used a racial slur against black customers who failed to provide vaccination documentation. She also accused other black customers of providing fake vaccine cards. Attorneys later revealed that these vaccine cards were genuine.
