Black Clergy Urges Boycott of Comcast Over Racist Words and Memes of The Word Network Owner Kevin Adell
NEWS PROVIDED BY
Imal Wagner PR
Nov. 15, 2019
NEW YORK, Nov. 15, 2019 /
Christian Newswire/ -- Over 100 black pastors across the nation are
calling on the public to join their #BoycottComcast campaign against The Word Network following the racially insensitive decision of its owner, Kevin Adell to circulate a digitally manipulated image portraying himself as a pimp with four of his network's leading black pastors cast as his "hoes" beside a stretch limousine. The Christian T.V. station markets itself as the world's largest African-American Religious Network, reaching approximately 60 million homes in the U.S. via Comcast.
It all began on September 19, 2019, when the network's white owner, Kevin Adell, sent a text message to black clergy members in his employ with a photo-shopped image of himself dressed as a fur-clad pimp, in front of a stretch limousine, surrounded by black clergymen he allegedly referred to as his "hoes."
While Adell claims he didn't create the racist pimp image, he participated in its circulation while expressing his amusement to those depicted in the offensive, degrading, racist image.
"We are at a season wherein black and white clergy must unite to take a stand for the African Americans as a people of the United States," Says Bishop E. Bernard Jordan, founder of
Zoe Ministries. "In order to be truly united as a nation, we are calling for the boycott of Comcast, demanding that the Word Network remove Adell as head because it promotes a culture that tolerates bigotry and racism."
The clergy participating in the boycott are urging the public to take to social media to decry the tone-deaf, racially insensitive actions of Adell. Clergy are demanding a public apology to the Black community and that cable companies drop The Word Network from their packages.
Sample post: Until @comcast agrees to demand an apology from The Word Network's Owner Kevin Adell and his removal from operations for his creation of a bigoted, racist culture, we will #BoycottComcast
Archbishop E. Bernard Jordan of Zoe Ministries, Pastor Debra Jordan, Zoe Ministries, Pastor Larry Reid, Larry Reid Live, Vickie Yohe, Christian Recording Artist, Paul Crouch, Jr. Impact Network, Lisa Sharon Harper, Freedom Roads, and Rev. Anita Faye-Wilson are joined by over 100 preachers in the boycott.
"The toleration of such discriminatory mindsets and behavior only separates the blacks from the whites," Bishop Jordan adds. "Unless people — black AND white — take a stand and say, 'No, this is not right. The CEO and president did an offensive and discriminatory thing,' how can there be true unity in the country? When people 'get over' a mass media mogul calling himself a pimp with black preachers as his "hoes" and look the other way, what does it say for us as a nation?"
At one point, Adell went even further by cropping the image to focus on Bishop Bloomer in a white tuxedo and below the photo, he typed the text, "The show last night was good, Tattoo (the dwarf from the 1977 show "Fantasy Island" who went around calling Mr. Roarke "Boss"). Adell continued to mock Bishop Bloomer in a string of text messages using the image and placing him in the role of the subservient, midget, role as his Tattoo, while he was the "Boss."
The last straw came when Bishop Bloomer texted Adell again saying, "This is not good. I don't know what you are doing but stop playing."
Adell responded, "Oh, you're too sensitive."
Dr. Martin Luther King once said, "In the end we will not remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
Bishop Jordan concludes, "Would anyone seeing true brotherhood circulate or even tolerate this kind of culture or share and enjoy images such as these? How can Americans, people of faith, tolerate a white boss calling a black employee a "hoe," expecting that employee to go along to get along? Where should we draw the line then?"
SOURCE Imal Wagner PR
