Speaking Out As a Black Woman Brings Death Threats from Trump Supporters
Michigan Representative Cynthia A. Johnson shares racist voicemails from community members who opposed her views at Rudy Giuliani’s hearing and receives backlash from her Republican colleagues.
Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, participated in a bizarre press conference on December 2nd with Michigan’s House Oversight Committee to discuss claims of mass voter fraud for the 2020 presidential election.
Besides subsequently testing positive for COVID-19 which caused the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration to site the Michigan House of Representatives with COVID workplace violations, Giuliani and his motley crew of witnesses proceeded to spread wild falsehoods regarding the integrity of the ballot counting process.
After enduring five hours of Guiliani and his entourage’s baseless claims of voter fraud, Representative Cynthia A. Johnson became frustrated. She challenged their efforts to delegitimize Michigan’s voting procedure but was met with a dismissive response from the republican representative and chairman, Matt Hall. He deemed her claim of the witnesses’ deception and her request for their questions to be asked under oath as irrelevant. With a slam of his gavel, Hall declared her “out of order” and the hearing proceeded with cringe-worthy antics that were later played out on an SNL episode.
A few days after the hearing, Representative Johnson began receiving racist death threats from Trump supporters on her personal cell phone. Instead of allowing these disgusting and disrespectful messages to go unreported, Johnson took to Facebook and posted a few of the most heinous comments for her followers to hear. They ranged from threats of cross burnings to hangings and were laden with malicious obscenities to drive home the complete lack of regard for this Black woman’s life.
How far have we really come in the struggle for equity?
Representative Johnson’s voicemails were eerily reminiscent of the hateful rhetoric experienced by Black American activists in the ’50s and ’60s. Nearly 70 years after the Civil Rights Movement, a Black woman was called one of the most abhorrent names ever uttered simply because she spoke out against attempts to undermine the election process.
This was only one of the messages she received and each additional voicemail reflected the same hateful sentiment. In a country that repeatedly professes such reverence for the constitution and its elected officials, the hypocrisy of spewing such racism and bigotry is a testament to just how little things have changed.
Black women have historically been the last to receive consideration for basic human rights and protection in America. Sadly, while we have risen to positions of authority in some areas, situations such as this one serve as a painful reminder that in the eyes of some citizens, we are still unworthy to receive decent, respectful treatment.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, journalist Abby Phillip, Omarosa Newman, former First Lady Michelle Obama, journalist Jemele Hill, representatives Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley, and journalist April Ryan are all among the Black women who have been personally disrespected by the current lame-duck president and his cult-like followers. While the careless words from this administration have repeatedly put the lives of these women and others in immediate danger, these iniquities have mainly gone under-reported and unaddressed. What kind of message does this send to Black women about the value of their lives and personal safety?
Representative Johnson is disciplined by the GOP for her remarks after receiving death threats.
Facebook is often considered a familiar and comfortable setting for people to voice their opinions and air grievances with their friends and followers to receive feedback or support. Rep. Johnson regularly utilizes the Facebook Live feature to discuss issues in the community and to impart knowledge to her constituents. After the hearing, she used Facebook to speak directly to her followers about the voicemails she posted, and her thoughts on how racism and threats as a whole could be overcome. The quote listed below was stated during the last few seconds of the three-minute video and served as the controversial statement that eventually affected Rep. Johnson’s legislative responsibilities:
This is just a warning to you Trumpers. Be careful. Walk lightly. We ain’t playing with you. Enough of the shenanigans. Enough is enough. And for those of you who are soldiers, you know how to do it. Do it right. Be in order. Make them pay — Cynthia A. Johnson
The quote above referred to the plan of action she suggested to her followers at the beginning of the video. She encouraged everyone to conduct themselves in an orderly fashion when voicing their issues with the voting process. She admonished those who use threats to achieve their goals and advised that the more effective way to facilitate change is to “hit them in the pocketbook.” That term meant bringing the perpetrators of hate and racism to justice and subsequently affecting their financial bottom line.
Those who were caught by the FBI for their inflammatory messages undoubtedly had to face repercussions from their employers or any business associates who contribute to their income. Rep. Johnson’s message was simply to hold people accountable for their actions by following the law, reporting wrong-doing, and allowing law enforcement to catch the offenders. She also warned those who continue to use force and fear tactics to express themselves that they should be prepared to feel the results of their actions through a disruption of their finances, not by compromising their personal safety.
The GOP, who apparently did not listen to the entire video, took this phrase out of context and used these words to justify removing Rep. Johnson from her committee assignments. In a joint statement, House Speaker Lee Chatfield(R) and Speaker-elect Jason Wentworth (R) said the following:
Threats to either Democrats or Republicans are unacceptable and un-American. They’re even more unbecoming of an elected official. Rep. Johnson has been removed from her committee assignments, and we are looking into further disciplinary action as the proper authorities conduct their own investigations.
More attention was given to Rep. Johnson’s video than to the death threats she received.
There was an outpouring of comments and concern after the edited portion of Rep. Johnson’s video began circulating through conservative media. Some called for her immediate resignation and others advocated for criminal charges. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) said in a statement:
It is never acceptable for anyone — especially a public servant — to incite violence or to threaten others with harm. When vigilantes assume justice is theirs to serve, our democracy suffers. It’s time for us to move forward together as a state instead of engaging in — or celebrating — actions of hate and divisiveness.”
Michigan Republican Party Chairman Laura Cox also issued a statement:
It is reprehensible that an elected official would call on her ‘soldiers’ to make the supporters of an opposing party ‘pay’, and clearly such a statement could incite people to violence. It was distressing to know that Rep. Johnson received threats after last week’s hearing; however, by issuing threats of violence of her own against the supporters of President Trump, she has sunk to the same level as the unhinged individuals who threatened her. I call on Gov. Whitmer and Michigan Democrats to condemn Representative Johnson’s statement immediately.
Republican Rep. Mary Whiteford took personal issue with Rep. Johnson sharing the death threats she received and for also asking one of the witnesses in the hearing to spell her last name because she could not clearly define the name through the woman’s enunciation. Rep. Whiteford addressed her concerns with the following statement via email:
I don’t understand why you would share this with me and other representatives, Cynthia. By the way, I am shocked that you had that poor woman spell out her name during the hearing. You put her life at risk! I am praying for you to have compassion for those that you disagree with.
This is the same state where vigilant Trump supporters were caught for plotting to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer and there was little to no outpouring of republican representatives openly crying foul for this horrific situation. It is clear that for some White Americans, the supposed “threat” from a Black woman carries more weight than the actual threats of White men.
Rep. Johnson works daily with these republicans in the same way that all of us work with our co-workers in various environments. Imagine knowing that the people you likely spend more time with than your own families had no interest in your personal safety, other than making a terse, perfunctory comment to give the impression of addressing the situation. But the comment, issued without real feeling or compassion behind it, is quickly followed by an admonishment of your own response to threats against you that were taken out of context. How would that make you feel existing in that type of workplace environment?
Many Black women are subjected to the same treatment Rep. Johnson received from her colleagues.
All Black women who work in corporate environments know the drill. Code-switching is the name of the game and it must be played from the moment we enter the office until the day comes to an end. It’s an unspoken understanding that to keep our jobs and to remain in the “good graces” of those who employ us, we must not be “too Black” or “too angry” or “too opinionated” if we want to avoid being labeled as the Angry Black Woman in our respective departments.
In the same manner that Rep. Johnson was chided by her republican co-workers for suggesting that Black women not just lie down and take abuse and instead take action, Black women who voice concerns about their personal safety or ill-treatment directed towards them are seldomly taken seriously. Rarely have we witnessed laws changed or new processes implemented stemming from a wrongful act against a Black woman. It generally takes a grievance committed against our White counterparts to garner national attention and immediate action.
It would never be a reflex action for most Black women to discuss feeling mistreated at work with their superiors because we know that what may start as an effort to enhance our conditions could likely end with us being portrayed as part of the problem. Often our requests must be vetted, reviewed, and weighed against the opinions of other White people in power before they are even considered worthy of discussing. Our own thoughts and expressions of how we feel or have been made to feel by someone being disrespectful or racist towards us seem to need the stamp of approval of our superiors before being deemed as valid.
Elevating the voice and concerns of Black women is imperative to securing our safety in this country.
Our voices need to be heard, taken seriously, and validated across all parts of America. The fact that we live in a country where members of society would call an elected official to pose death threats or spew racist comments without pause speaks volumes for the overall lack of humanity. Add to the fact that the victim was a Black woman and the bar for maintaining human decency drops even lower.
The outrage expressed towards Rep. Johnson should have been outrage voiced in support of her safety and of anti-racism. The examples are far too plentiful where racist acts are dismissed, the culprits are not publicly reprimanded, and the victim is left to carry the burden of proof for the violence she experienced. We should not have to wait until these types of threats are acted on and risk the loss of human life. Black women deserve more and we deserve it NOW, not later.
We are doing our part in the effort to secure our safety and value in America. For hundreds of years, Black women have been at the forefront of every protest, every rally, every uprising, and every organized meeting to discuss racism and define ways to combat it. We are effective when we come together and join forces, but this is not a condition we created and we should not be tasked with solving it alone.
There must be advocates from the majority population to also take the stance of ensuring that all women receive the same protection, the same reverence, and the same level of respect in this country. I write a series of articles entitled “Dear White Women” that some find offensive, but the point of my articles is to drive home the reality that a White woman’s voice carries more weight in America. And when the lives of Black women are on the line, we need to work together to achieve true equality and autonomy for everyone. We answered the call to fight for women’s rights, and the “American way” would be to return the favor.
If this country insists on billing itself as the land of the free, it is 400 years overdue to actually practice what it preaches. Black people are not free in this country and Black women continue to receive “bottom of the barrel” treatment at every level of this society.
Rep. Johnson has continued to report to her job and fulfill her commitments as an elected official without skipping a beat. She is able to see beyond her current circumstances and stay focused on the task at hand, which is ensuring she is serving the people of her district to the best of her ability. Even in the face of her immediate safety being put in danger, she marches on, still posting on Facebook and still speaking her unapologetic truth about the world around her. Black women have long since learned we don’t have the luxury to hide from adversity nor do we have much protection from it. Instead, we must gather ourselves, rely on faith to get us through the day and dodge the verbal — and sometimes physical — bullets that come our way in the form of racism and oppression.
Rep. Johnson’s example of resilience in the face of racism and disrespect is a message to the world that a Black woman is not easily broken and racist voicemails will hardly get the job done. Better people have tried and failed miserably. This is a new day and Black women are exhibiting different energy that only grows stronger with each challenge. We will not be intimidated, we will not be disrespected, and we will not be silenced when actions are taken against us. Although we came to this country by force and not by choice, we are Americans have every right to exercise the benefits of our citizenship just like anyone else. Rep. Johnson rose to the occasion to defend herself and her position, and there are millions of Rep. Johnsons in this world to be reckoned with.