Dear Michael,

Right now, Fox News is trying to paint Barack Obama as foreign, un-American, suspicious, and scary. They're trying to send Americans the message that our country's first viable Black candidate for President is not "one of us." We've seen this before from Fox. They won't stop until it becomes too painful to continue--until the public calls them out and advertisers start getting worried. Now is the time to draw a line in the sand by putting Fox on notice that their behavior won't be tolerated. In less than a minute, you can help us do that. Then invite your friends and family to do the same. Just click here: http://colorofchange.org/foxobama/?id=2047-254640 After Senator Obama won the nomination, he and his wife gave each other a "pound" in front of the cameras. Fox anchor E.D. Hill called the act of celebration a "terrorist fist jab."1 Then last week, a Fox News on-screen graphic referred to Michelle Obama as "Obama's baby mama"2--slang used to describe the unmarried mother of a man's child. It was a clear attempt to associate the Obamas with negative cultural stereotypes about Black people, an insult not only to Michelle Obama but to women and Black people everywhere. Last month, a Fox guest pretended to confuse Obama's name with "Osama," associating him with terrorism, which has happened before on Fox. But then she goes further, stating that the assassination of both Osama and Obama would be a good thing.3,4 It is unconscionable for an organization that calls itself a news network to advocate for the assassination of a presidential candidate. After each of the incidents mentioned, Fox issued some form of weak apology. But what does it mean when you slap someone in the face, apologize the next day, then slap them again on the third? It means the apology is meaningless. Now is the time to call out Fox for these attacks and their fake apologies. The first stop is Fox. Next will be their advertisers and the FCC. If we don't push back now, we will see more of the same from now until November. Please join us to demand that Fox answer for it's behavior: http://colorofchange.org/foxobama/?id=2047-254640 These aren't one-time incidents--they're part of a pattern that continues no matter how often Fox is forced to apologize. Fox has a clear record of attacking and undermining Black institutions, Black leaders, and Black people in general.5,6 Their team of producers and on-air personalities uses innuendo to prey on fear and racist stereotypes that ridicule the progress, politics and personalities of Black America.7 But this pattern grew even more noticeable when Barack Obama became a serious presidential contender. Fox's smears against Obama are part of a larger effort, working together with anonymous emails8, outrageous statements by right-wing pundits and officials9 and fear-mongering ads paid for by local chapters of the Republican party10. These tactics have deception at their core, and they're designed to take advantage of the racist fears and prejudices ingrained in our society. Fox plays a very specific, key role in this effort. It uses its position in the media to inject racist attacks on Obama into the mainstream political conversation. Because Fox paints itself as a news network and has a large audience, it's able to give credibility and exposure to unfounded rumors and bigoted, extremist statements. Stopping Fox will take a sustained effort, but we've done it before11. Once you've signed the letter to Fox, you'll be the first to hear about future racist smears and how we can fight them.

Please join us: http://colorofchange.org/foxobama/?id=2047-254640 Thanks and Peace, -- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, Andre, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team June 20th, 2008