(Baltimore, MD) — November 13, 2020 — Today, the Michigan State Conference of the NAACP moved to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the Trump campaign which seeks to block certification of the Michigan presidential election results. The NAACP seeks to intervene in this case to represent the interests of Black voters in order to prevent their disenfranchisement, to ensure their ballots are counted, and to adamantly counter the racist attacks on Black votes as fraudulent and corrupt. Below are statements from the following NAACP officials:
Yvonne White, President of the Michigan State Conference of the NAACP: “This is racism, pure and simple. The Trump campaign is calling our votes “illegal” and our ballots “ineligible.” Black voters in Wayne County have the right to vote and they exercised that right. The Trump campaign just doesn’t like the outcome. In a pathetic attempt to set that result aside, the campaign is engaging in a litany of attacks against Black voters who followed all the rules and against Wayne County election officials who conducted this election with integrity and in full compliance with the law. It is no accident that these accusations are hurled against Wayne County; this is home to the City of Detroit and the largest concentration of Black voters in the state. The narrative that Black people are corrupt must stop. We will defend the character and integrity of hundreds of thousands of Black voters in court.”
Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP: “The Trump campaign is trying to subvert democracy and is attacking Black voters to do it. This lawsuit in Michigan is part of a desperate attempt to set aside the choice of the American people in selecting the next president. This attempt will surely fail. But we cannot stand by while the Trump campaign repeatedly accuses Black voters of fraud and wrongdoing. We must speak up to protect the integrity of Black voters and the democratic process in which they participated and made their voices heard in record numbers.”
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About NAACP
Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. We have over 2,200 units and branches across the nation, along with well over 2M activists. Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.
In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP.
NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but separated in 1957 to become a completely separate entity. It is recognized as the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization, and shares our commitment to equal rights.
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