Black freshman lawmaker tweets examples of racist abuse and threats she’s received

Congresswoman Cori Bush of Missouri, a Black woman serving her first term in Congress, is sharing examples of the racist abuse and threats she encounters across a number of platforms.

In a Twitter thread published on Thursday, the activist-turned-lawmaker known for her vocal support of the Black Lives Matter movement and criticism of police violence shared a number of examples of unhinged, wildly racist comments she has faced after speaking out about such issues.

“White supremacists wanted me dead before I came to Congress. And white supremacist threats on my life have only intensified as a Black woman speaking truth in the halls of power,” the congresswoman wrote.

Many of the comments contain clear, explicit threats or calls for violence against Ms Bush, 45, and all contained extremely racist language including references to the congresswoman’s physical appearance. Several also accused her of hating white people and referred to her criticism of instances of police brutality such as the George Floyd killing as “lies.” At least one also contained a threat aimed at Ms Bush’s children.

Some of the racist abuse appeared to come in the form of text messages, while others appeared to be using email or a message-the-congresswoman feature common on House and Senate members’ websites.

Ms Bush’s revelations about the abuse that she faces come as Americans are sharply divided over issues such as the treatment of minorities by law enforcement; in recent months, conservatives have also rallied against the supposed teaching of “critical race theory” in public schools.

A push to ban such teachings at the state level has ensued, which have largely amounted to state legislatures banning the teaching of concepts such as privilege and generally discouraging discussions about racial discrimination and its vast history in the US.