National Urban League President & CEO Renews Concerns Regarding Elon Musk's Purchase of Twitter

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 26, 2022) – Today, National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial released the following statement after Twitter’s announcement of Elon Musk’s purchase of the company:

“We are extremely disappointed at the reported decision of Twitter's Board to accept Elon Musk’s offer to purchase Twitter and convert it into a private entity.

“Shareholders still have an opportunity to reject this transaction and we implore them not to squander it. A takeover by Musk is not only a slap in the face to the civil rights community, but an affront to everyone who is alarmed by Twitter’s role in the proliferation of misinformation, disinformation, and abusive hate speech, including white supremacist rhetoric.

“Last week, we sent a letter to Twitter’s Board Chair Bret Taylor outlining our concerns about Musk’s open hostility toward even the modest content standards currently in place and requesting that the Board consult with the civil rights community before making a decision that will have implications far beyond the company and its shareholders. The Board failed even to acknowledge the letter much less follow through on the consultation.

“At this time, we remain vigilant of Twitter's response to our concerns and reiterate our insistence upon responsible content moderation standards for Twitter and other social media platforms. We will work with our partners to evaluate our options in response to this sale. Make no mistake: we will not remain silent about this potential threat to the communities we serve and the nation we love.”

To read our letter, click here.