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Planned Parenthood Chapter Cuts Ties With Women’s March Co-Chair in Wake of Farrakhan Controversy

Tamika D. Mallory / Getty
March 8, 2018

A regional Planned Parenthood organization serving the Northwest United States and Hawaii announced on Wednesday that it would part ways with Women's March co-chair Tamika Mallory in the wake of her controversial ties with the rabid anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan.

Last week, Mallory received backlash for attending Farrakhan's annual Saviours' Day address, an event where the Nation of Islam leader attacked "that Satanic Jew," called Jews "the mother and father of apartheid," and proclaimed that "when you want something in this world, the Jew holds the door."

Erika Croxton, the vice president of development for Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, sent out an email to inform supporters of plans to "part ways" with Mallory and to announce a "new keynote speaker for the April 5 luncheon in the coming weeks." The annual Seattle luncheon for the nonprofit, which describes itself on Facebook as a "nonpartisan organization educating residents and policy makers in Washington, Alaska, Idaho, and Hawaii about reproductive health issues," will cost attendees $200 for a general admission seat.

On the chapter's website for the event, Mallory is described as a "nationally recognized leader" and a "champion of the civil rights movement." The bio goes on to say she has been an "outspoken advocate for social justice." However, Croxton's email, which can be viewed in its entirety on the chapter's Facebook page, infers Mallory fell short of the group's standard of "fight[ing] for justice for all people regardless of skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or national origin."

"We at Planned Parenthood condemn and reject bigotry of all kinds," the Facebook post says. "We are committed to taking a stand against those who wish to undo the progress of the last half century, and we will not stop in the fight for justice for all people regardless of skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or national origin."

CNN's Jake Tapper slammed Mallory on Twitter for attending the Saviours' Day address, pointing out that she posted an image of the event on Instagram.

Tapper's full response can be viewed on CNN. And the occasion wasn't the first time Mallory had posted on social media about Farrakhan. Mallory previously referred to the Nation of Islam leader as "honorable" and said she was "super ready for this message!" before an event in 2016,  according to CNN.

Mallory penned an op-ed for News One on Wednesday where she argued she should not be "held responsible for the words of others when my own history shows that I stand in opposition to them."

The Washington Free Beacon reached out to the Planned Parenthood chapter for comment but did not receive a response by time of publication.