GROWING OPPOSITION: The proposed Sept. 18 right-wing extremist event at the University of South Carolina demeaning Vice President Kamala Harris has the NAACP and other African American leadership objecting to “the blatant sexist and racist nature of the event, the advertisement for it, and the potential for violence on campus” due to it. PHOTO COURTESY OF YOUTUBE.COM

Miami– The NAACP is urging the University of South Carolina to rescind a campus event featuring a roast of Vice President Kamala Harris by the right-wing extremist Proud Boys founder and other white supremacists.

Black leaders across the nation are also condemning the Sept. 18 event at the college’s Russell House, calling it inappropriate and hate speech against Harris, the Democratic Party presidential nominee picked to face former president Donald Trump in November.

USC’s student chapter of Uncensored America, an organization that claims to be a nonpartisan nonprofit fighting for freedom of speech, is hosting the event by roastmasters Gavin McInnes and Milo Yiannopoulos, both of whom have histories of public, hateful rhetoric, according to reports.

The NAACP sent a letter to USC President Michael D. Amiridis, calling on him and university leadership to cancel the event which is causing widespread public outrage by utilizing racial tropes to boost attendance.

NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson said in the letter to the university that hate speech has long served as a weapon to undermine the progress of the nation.

"We feel compelled to write this letter because of the blatant sexist and racist nature of the event, the advertisement for it, and the potential for violence on campus because of the proposed event," the letter said. "There is no doubt that the advertisement … reeks of misogynoir – "the specific hatred, dislike, distrust, and prejudice directed toward Black women."

"Any proffered justification for the advertised event would appear to be nothing more than a pretext for discrimination."

Johnson subsequently released a statement about the roast saying at a time where "we are witnessing groundbreaking history, bad actors aim to cast a dark shadow on those very achievements.

"If South Carolina University’s leadership values their Black students, it’s only right they shut this event down," Johnson said. "Our nation’s schools must remain havens for learning, not platforms for hate. It is imperative that the university takes swift action in this matter and protects the campus community from patterns of divisiveness and degradation."

An online petition led by NAACP youth leaders has gained more than 14,000 signatures in support of canceling the event.

Harold Ford, president of the NAACP South Dade Branch, told the South Florida Times the local chapter is deeply disturbed by news of a racist group planning a so-called Harris roast at the university.

Ford said it’s an affront to Blacks and the values of equality and respect "we hold dear as a nation."

"The derogatory nature of this event undermines the spirit of inclusivity that institutions of higher learning should promote," Ford said. "Moreover, it contributes to a culture of intolerance and division that we must collectively stand against. The vice president has served this country with integrity and resilience, and any attempt to demean her, especially in such a blatantly racist context, is not only disrespectful but also dangerous in its promotion of hate."

Ford is also calling on the leadership at the university to take swift action to prevent the event from taking place. "Educational institutions must not become platforms for hate speech or racist attacks, and we expect the university to uphold its responsibility to foster an environment of respect and understanding for all," he said. The NAACP will continue to stand firm in opposing any form of racism, sexism, and bigotry. We urge the broader community to join us in condemning this event and ensuring that such harmful rhetoric has no place in our society."

Some university officials also denounced what they called "vile and juvenile rhetoric" used to promote an event next month on campus that will feature two far-right, controversial figures.

“We do not know what the speakers plan to say during the event, but they have used vulgar language in promotional material and they have said troubling and offensive things in the past,” officials said in a statement to the media. “We condemn the vile and juvenile rhetoric used to promote this event.”

McInnes, a writer and talk show host, is a founder of the Proud Boys, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled a hate group.

He reportedly resigned from the group in 2018, Reuters but remains involved.

During media interviews, McInnes described himself as a “western chauvinist." Yiannopoulos, a right-wing media personality once nicknamed the “pop star of hate,” is known for his misogynistic, racist, xenophobic and transphobic views.

The University of South Carolina didn’t respond to a request to be interviewed for this story.

School officials released a statement to The State saying that as a public university it is required to allow the event, citing students’ freedom of speech and open dialogue, but said the university is not endorsing the event.

“We remain steadfast in safeguarding the First Amendment rights of our students, even when we may be offended by their choices and statements," the statement said.

More than 20 SCU student groups objected to the roast calling it hurtful and distasteful.

The groups include the Association of African American Students, Caribbean Appreciation Students Association, Korean Student Association, Black Medical Student Association and Pan-African Student Association.

South Carolina state Sen. Tamika Issac Devine told CNN that she, too, wrote the university a missive condemning the event and suggesting it reflects a bit of the state’s racial history.

In a 2015 mass shooting Dylann Roof killed nine Black men and women in a church in Charleston, South Carolina in what police believed was a racially motivated attack.

Roof was sentenced to die in 2017.

Issac Devine said the message the university is sending is allowing a platform for a speech that’s offensive to a lot of people.

"I understand the university on the First Amendment right but we need to send a clear message … a message to encourage diversity," she said. "But the message they are sending is we will not condemn hate speech for the event and for others."

Issac said the university is allowing an event that makes marginalized communities feel more marginalized. "The University of South Carolina has done a lot in the past couple of years with reconciliation with their racial history by doing monuments to celebrate Black history," she said. "But this event takes us back a little bit."

According to theGrio, President Biden declined to comment about the Harris roast during a briefing at the White House last week.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre she wasn’t “familiar with this particular event” but reiterated Biden’s praise of Harris as the “best decision” of his political career when selecting her as his vice president.

“I can’t speak to every racist, misogynistic, sexist comment that’s been out there,” said the White House spokesperson.