Taylor Dumpson

Last updated
Taylor Dumpson
Born1995or1996(age 27–28) [1]
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Education American University (BA)
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (JD)
OccupationAttorney
Employer Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

Taylor Dumpson (born 1995or1996) is an American attorney [2] and associate counsel at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. [3] After she became the first Black woman president of the student government at American University, she was the target of hate crimes, and responded to an online troll storm with a successful lawsuit.

Contents

Early life and education

Dumpson was born in Washington D.C. and raised in the Eastern Shore of Maryland. [3] Her mother is an executive vice president at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and her father is an executive movie producer. [4] Her family ties to the Eastern Shore begin in the 1800s. [5] She has described the killing of Trayvon Martin as a life-changing event and a "generational moment" that inspired her to become more involved in activism during high school. [5] She attended Wicomico High School, then American University for her BA in Law and Society, and completed her JD at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. [3]

At American University, she was a member of the predominantly Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, and began her term as the first Black woman president of the student government on April 30, 2017. [6] On May 1, bananas hung from nooses, some including notes directed at her sorority, were found on campus, and the FBI began to investigate. [6] [7] Students protested and hundreds attended a town hall meeting in response to the incident. [7] [6] [8]

Within days, Dumpson was told by the Anti-Defamation League that the neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer run by Andrew Anglin had targeted her for a "troll storm" of cyberharassment, including by posting her picture and social media contact information. [9] [1] [10] She has said she increased security precautions and experienced PTSD as a result of the harassment that followed. [9] [1] [11]

Dumpson v. Ade

In April 2018, with representation from the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Dumpson filed a lawsuit alleging violations of the District of Columbia Human Rights Act of 1977 and the D.C. Bias-Related Crimes Act of 1989 against Andrew Anglin, Evan James McCarty, and Brian Andrew Ade. [12] The lawsuit also included a variety of allegations against Anglin, including incitement of intentional infliction of emotional distress, interfering with her right to equal opportunity to education, and conspiracy to commit stalking. [11] In December 2018, Dumpson reached a settlement with McCarty that was influenced by principles of restorative justice and included his agreement to apologize to Dumpson, to renounce white supremacy, and to complete community service. [9] [1] [13]

In August 2019, in a default judgment, [14] Dumpson was awarded more than $725,000 in damages, costs, and fees against Anglin, as well as restraining orders against Anglin, Ade, and Moonbase Holdings, known as the company that supports The Daily Stormer. [15] [16] In her ruling, Judge Rosemary M. Collyer found Dumpson was "targeted because of her race and gender", and Dumpson's attorney Kristen Clarke described the ruling as "historic" [16] due to the finding that racist online trolling can cause interference with equal access to a public accommodation. [17]

Career

Dumpson became a 2021 President's Fellow at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a DC-based organization that promotes civil rights, [18] and has continued at the organization as associate counsel.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Poverty Law Center</span> American civil rights NGO, founded 1971

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white supremacist groups, for its classification of hate groups and other extremist organizations, and for promoting tolerance education programs. The SPLC was founded by Morris Dees, Joseph J. Levin Jr., and Julian Bond in 1971 as a civil rights law firm in Montgomery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American University</span> Private university in Washington, D.C.

American University is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noose</span> Rope loop and knot

A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the knot tightens under load and can be loosened without untying the knot. The knot can be used to secure a rope to a post, pole, or animal but only where the end is in a position that the loop can be passed over.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fourteen Words</span> White-supremacist slogans

"The Fourteen Words" is a reference to two slogans originated by David Eden Lane, one of nine founding members of the defunct white supremacist terrorist organization The Order, and are accompanied by Lane's "88 Precepts". The slogans have served as a rallying cry for militant white nationalists internationally.

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, or simply the Lawyers' Committee, is an American civil rights organization founded in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Socialist Movement (United States)</span> American Neo-Nazi organization (1974-)

The National Socialist Movement is a Neo-Nazi organization based in the United States. Once considered to be the largest and most prominent Neo-Nazi organization in the United States, since the late 2010s its membership and prominence have plummeted. It was a part of the Nationalist Front and it is classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Stormfront is a neo-Nazi Internet forum, and the Web's first major racial hate site. The site is focused on propagating white nationalism, Nazism, antisemitism and Islamophobia, as well as anti-feminism, homophobia, transphobia, Holocaust denial, and white supremacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Randazza</span> American First Amendment attorney

Marc J. Randazza is an American First Amendment attorney and a legal commentator on InfoWars.

weev Internet troll and hacker (born 1985)

Andrew Alan Escher Auernheimer, best known by his pseudonym weev, is an American computer hacker and professional Internet troll. Affiliated with the alt-right, he has been described as a neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and antisemitic conspiracy theorist. He has used many aliases when he has contacted the media, but most sources state that his real first name is Andrew.

<i>The Daily Stormer</i> American neo-Nazi commentary and message board

The Daily Stormer is an American far-right, neo-Nazi, white supremacist, misogynist, Islamophobic, antisemitic, and Holocaust denial commentary and message board website that advocates for a second genocide of Jews. It is part of the alt-right movement. Its editor, Andrew Anglin, founded the outlet on July 4, 2013, as a faster-paced replacement for his previous website Total Fascism, which had focused on his own long-form essays on fascism, race, and antisemitic conspiracy theories. In contrast, The Daily Stormer relies heavily on quoted material with exaggerated headlines.

White student unions were white supremacist students' unions created as part of the white separatist movement during the 1960s and 1970s; some continued to be created into the 1980s and 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alt-right</span> Far-right white nationalist movement

The alt-right is a far-right, white nationalist movement. A largely online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late 2000s before increasing in popularity and establishing a presence in other countries during the mid-2010s, and has been declining since 2017. The term is ill-defined and has been used in different ways by academics, journalists, media commentators, and alt-right members themselves.

The Right Stuff is a neo-Nazi and white nationalist blog and discussion forum and the host of several podcasts, including The Daily Shoah. Founded by American neo-Nazi Mike Enoch, the website promotes Holocaust denial, and coined the use of "echoes", an antisemitic marker that uses triple parentheses around names to identify Jewish people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Enoch</span> American white supremacist blogger and podcast host (born 1977)

Michael Enoch Isaac Peinovich, more commonly known as Mike Enoch, is an American neo-Nazi, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, Holocaust denier, blogger, and podcast host. He founded the alt-right media network The Right Stuff and podcast The Daily Shoah. Through his work, Enoch ridicules African Americans, Jews, and other minorities, advocates racial discrimination, and promotes conspiracy theories such as Holocaust denial and white genocide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nationalist Front (United States)</span> Loose coalition of white supremacist groups in the United States

The Nationalist Front was a loose coalition of radical right and white supremacist organizations. The coalition was formed in 2016 by leaders of the neo-Nazi groups National Socialist Movement (NSM) and Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP). Its aim was to unite white supremacist and white nationalist groups under a common umbrella. Originally the group was named the Aryan Nationalist Alliance and was composed of neo-Nazi, Ku Klux Klan and White power skinhead organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's okay to be white</span> Slogan associated with white supremacy

"It's okay to be white" (IOTBW) is an alt-right slogan which originated as part of an organized trolling campaign on the website 4chan's discussion board /pol/ in 2017. A /pol/ user described it as a proof of concept that an otherwise innocuous message could be used maliciously to spark media backlash. Posters and stickers stating "It's okay to be white" were placed in streets in the United States as well as on campuses in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristen Clarke</span> American lawyer (born 1975)

Kristen M. Clarke is an American attorney who has served as the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the United States Department of Justice since May 2021. Clarke previously served as president of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. She also managed the Civil Rights Bureau of the New York State Attorney General's Office under Eric Schneiderman. In 2019, Clarke successfully represented Taylor Dumpson, the first African American woman student body president of American University, in her landmark case against white supremacists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Anglin</span> American neo-Nazi and webhost

Andrew Barret Anglin is an American neo-Nazi and conspiracy theorist, and editor of the website The Daily Stormer. Through this website, Anglin uses elements of Nazism combined with Internet memes originating from 4chan to promote white supremacy, fascism, and antisemitic conspiracy theories such as Holocaust denial to a young audience.

Gersh v. Anglin is an American lawsuit that tested whether an internet-based ideologue who provoked an anti-Semitic "troll storm" attack on a private person deserved Constitutional free speech protection. The case was widely covered by media in the United States and other countries.

<i>Sines v. Kessler</i> Civil rights lawsuit decided in 2021

Sines v. Kessler was a civil lawsuit against various organizers, promoters, and participants in the Unite the Right rally, a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017. The trial began in October 2021, and on November 23, the jury reached a mixed verdict in which they found various defendants liable on claims of civil conspiracy and race-based harassment or violence. They also found James A. Fields Jr., the perpetrator of the car attack against counterprotesters at the rally, liable for assault and battery and intentional infliction of harm. Altogether, the jury awarded the plaintiffs more than $25 million in punitive and compensatory damages, though this was later reduced by the judge to $2.35 million.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Karen Zraick (December 21, 2018). "Student Targeted by 'Troll Storm' Hopes Settlement Will Send Message to White Supremacists". The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  2. ↑ Clarke, Kristen (November 18, 2021). "Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke Delivers Remarks at Dillard University's 10th Annual Justice Revius O. Ortique Jr. Lecture on Law and Society". United States Department of Justice . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Taylor Dumpson". Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  4. ↑ Gates, Deborah (June 25, 2017). "Rising above racism: Salisbury resident Taylor Dumpson's resolve tested, but unwavering". Daily Times . ProQuest   1913108695 . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  5. 1 2 Taylor Dumpson (2018). "Taylor Dumpson". In Arjun Singh Sethi (ed.). American Hate: Survivors Speak Out. The New Press. ISBN   9781620973721 . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 Larimer, Sarah (June 26, 2017). "After bananas and nooses on campus, here's how a student body president copes". The Washington Post . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  7. 1 2 Fortin, Jacey (May 3, 2017). "F.B.I. Helping American University Investigate Bananas Found Hanging From Nooses". The New York Times . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  8. ↑ Samsel, Haley; Turner, Nora (May 2, 2017). "American University hosts town hall to address racist incident targeting black women". The Eagle. American University . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 Martin, Michel (September 12, 2021). "After Neo-Nazis Targeted Her, Taylor Dumpson Says Young Generations Give Her Hope". All Things Considered . NPR . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  10. ↑ Lavin, Talia (October 13, 2020). Culture Warlords: My Journey Into the Dark Web of White Supremacy. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN   9780306846441 . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  11. 1 2 Simon, Mallory; Sidner, Sara (May 11, 2018). "School's first female black student president was the target of a racist attack. Now she's suing over the 'troll storm' that followed". CNN . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  12. ↑ "1st black woman student president at American Univ. seeks $1.5M damages from neo-Nazi site founder". NBC News . Associated Press. April 30, 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  13. ↑ Sidner, Sara; Simon, Mallory (September 21, 2019). "He tweeted hate at her. She sued. Then she met him". CNN . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  14. ↑ Calvert, Clay (April 2020). "Troll Storms and Tort Liability for Speech Urging Action by Others: A First Amendment Analysis and an Initial Step Towards a Federal Rule". Washington University Law Review . 97 (4). Washington University School of Law . Retrieved 30 November 2021. As was the situation in Gersh, Andrew Anglin failed to defend against Taylor Dumpson's lawsuit and default judgment was entered against him in August 2019. (47) In brief, the crucial issue at the heart of this Commentary regarding vicarious tort liability for speech-sparked troll storms was never fully litigated or resolved in either Gersh or Dumpson.
  15. ↑ "First black woman student president at American Univ. awarded $725k in suit against neo-Nazi website founder". NBC News . Associated Press. August 13, 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  16. 1 2 Padilla, Mariel (August 10, 2019). "Student Wins $725,000 in Lawsuit Over 'Troll Storm' Led by The Daily Stormer". The New York Times . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  17. ↑ Schmidt, Samantha (August 10, 2019). "Federal judge awards over $700,000 to former American University student targeted in neo-Nazi 'troll storm'". The Washington Post . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  18. ↑ Rachel Maddow (October 25, 2021). "Neo-Nazi organizers of Charlottesville being financially wrecked by lawsuit". MSNBC. Retrieved November 30, 2021. Taylor Dumpson of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law talks about her own experience using the court system to punish racist attackers.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.