The controversy surrounding a white mother who called a Black child the N-word during an incident at a Minnesota playground is heating up as fundraising for the woman – who admitted to using the term on camera – approaches one million dollars. Now, as people continue to debate whether or not it’s ever OK to give money to someone for being unapologetically racist, the co-founder of the site that hosts her donation page is weighing in.
In an interview with NewsNation, GiveSendGo co-founder and CFO Jacob Wells said that while he doesn’t condone Shiloh Hendrix’s behavior, the First Amendment gives Americans the right to express themselves – something he believes is a strong argument against cancel culture.
“In America, we have freedoms that came at a very high price,” he said. “This mob mentality has absolutely ruined so many people’s lives over the past several years.”
But lots of people, including the interviewer, think it’s wrong that Hendrix’s racism is making her rich – especially since the money is being collected on a Christian-based crowdfunding site. Hendrix’s page, which she says was started to protect her family from targeted attacks and to help support their potential relocation, has collected over $750,000 to date, even as the mom of two wrote “I called the kid out for what he was” on the page.
“I would have a hard time going to bed at night knowing that my website is making that woman a millionaire,” the NewsNation host said.
Wells responded by doubling down on people’s individual right to donate to causes they support. He added that GiveSendGo isn’t making money from Hendrix’s campaign because they don’t take a percentage of donations as other crowdfunding sites do. Donating to the site is optional.
“I believe in freedom of speech, freedom of association. These are foundational tenets to the society that we live in,” he added. “And when you start going down the road of cancellation and cancel culture, it actually breeds the very thing that we’re against.