The movement known as the Women’s March announced a change in leadership on Monday, as co-founders Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour and Bob Bland stepped down from their co-presidential roles in the organization. The march’s fourth founder, Carmen Perez, will be staying on.
With both Mallory and Sarsour repeatedly plagued by accusations of anti-Semitism both within and outside of the organization, the national factions of the Women’s March became deeply fractured this January, jeopardizing the third annual event, which was subsequently canceled in several major cities. After adding a 20-member steering committee earlier this year, the beleaguered organization has now introduced a new 17-member board predominantly comprised of women of color, including activists Charlene Carruthers, Kelley Robinson, Lu-Shawn Thompson, and T. Sheri Dickerson.
Via a press release from the organization:
Founding Women’s March Board Members Tamika Mallory, Bob Bland, and Linda Sarsour will transition off of the Women’s March Board and onto other projects focused on advocacy within their respective organizations.
Founding Board Member Carmen Perez-Jordan will continue to lend her expertise to the new board of the Women’s March. Perez-Jordan aims to use her position on the new board to build bridges between communities and mentor a new generation of feminist leaders...
The Women’s March Board will enter into this next phase focusing on leadership development, rapid response, and building political power in partnership with the hard-working Women’s March staff and chapter leaders around the country, allied organizations and partners, and alongside the efforts of millions of volunteers and marchers around the world.
Despite the controversy that has threatened to undermine the group’s mission, the Women’s March maintains that those challenges are not the reason for the departure of Mallory, Sarsour and Bland; all of whom had previously determined term limits on their seats. Sarsour and Bland have both tweeted their praise of the new leadership, with Mallory retweeting in support.