Boston City Council Candidate Criticized Over ‘Full-Blown Racist’ Flyer
A white Boston City Council candidate is getting slammed over a campaign flyer she’s circulating that shows a photo of her in color and her Black opponent in grayscale, while noting the “stark differences” between them.
According to the New York Post, Mary Tamer’s campaign sent out the promotional material to voters last week, but some are pointing out the racism on the flyers.
“Mary Tamer’s city councilor campaign has gone full-blown racist. If you’re in Boston and live in District 6, vote for Kendra Hicks,” a resident wrote on Twitter, referring to Tamer’s opponent.
“As if the baseless fear-mongering and falsehoods here weren’t bad enough, they had to darken Kendra Hicks’ skin tone in the photo. This couldn’t go into the recycling bin fast enough,” another voter wrote.
Tamer and Hicks are both running for the city’s District 6 seat.
In response to the criticism, Tamer’s campaign denied the flyer was racist, claiming the “stark differences” were reflective of policy not race.
“The Tamer Campaign, which abhors all forms of racism, sent out a mailer citing clear policy differences between Mary and her opponent, Kendra Hicks,” Tamer’s account tweeted. “The photo used was never intended to cause harm or show racial animus, but it is clear, based on the feedback we have received and heard, that it did not set the right tone.”
While the campaign said it “learned a valuable lesson,” they stopped short of apologizing.
“What we intended to focus on and will continue to focus on are the significant policy differences between Mary and her opponent,” Tamer’s account tweeted Monday (October 18). “Elections are about choices, and District 6 voters have a clear choice to make on November 2.”
Hicks has also reacted to the flyers and accused Tamer of sending the “racist trope” to make her appear “more menacing” to Boston voters.
“In 2021, there is no place for such blatantly racist messaging in a campaign hoping to represent as diverse a community as District 6,” Hicks said in a statement on Monday. “The decision to print and send this mailer to thousands of residents is not only damaging to me, but sends a message to the tens of thousands of black and brown residents across the city.”
See the flyer below.
