LDF Condemns Racist, Hateful Statements Recently Made at a Rally for a Presidential Candidate

Read a PDF of our statement here.

On Sunday, Oct. 27, a presidential candidate held a rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City that was rife with deeply concerning racist and vulgar language.

In response, Legal Defense Fund (LDF) President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson issued the following statement:

"The Legal Defense Fund vehemently condemns the racist statements made at the New York City rally for the endorsed candidate of a major political party. The specific references to racial and ethnic groups with hateful, loathsome rhetoric based in stereotypes and denigrating insults should have no place in the political discourse of our multiracial, multiethnic democracy. The Legal Defense Fund stands in solidarity with and in support of the Puerto Rican, Haitian, and other communities of color who continue to be unjustly vilified on the campaign trail. Words have power, and such racist rhetoric and hate speech are dangerous and destabilizing to democracy."

The Legal Defense Fund is strictly non-partisan, and we do not support or oppose candidates for political office. We instead support universal principles of equal citizenship in our multiracial democracy, and we take seriously the increasingly sinister efforts to divide the American people by disparaging people of color. We will continue to fight against hate and to advance racial justice and equal protection under law.

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Legal Defense Fund (LDF) - Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation's first civil rights law organization. LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957-although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.