On ABC, Melissa Harris Perry Attacks: I Will Not Be ‘Mammy for MSNBC!

Scott Whitlock | March 14, 2016
Font Size

[See NewsBusters for more.] Ex-MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry on Monday appeared on The View to level a racially charged attack against her former employer. Harris-Perry angrily declared that she would not be a “mammy” for the liberal cable channel. Regarding a leaked e-mail she sent to the crew of her show, Harris-Perry explained, “I'm an African-American politics scholar. So, when I say mammy, I mean something very particular." She added, “The history of mammy is that mammy is the black woman who cares more about the master's family than about her own.” Explaining the explosive comparison to the slavery era, the ex-host continued, “What I'm saying is I don't care more about MSNBC's reputation than I do about [my show’s] family, about the thing that we built, about our viewing audience and about our team.”

donate