‘Shame’: Black Political Candidates Face Hate Speech Attacks on the Campaign Trail in Indiana, But They Won’t Back Down
Three Black politicians running for elected positions in Indiana are speaking up against racist rhetoric they’ve endured while campaigning.
Demetrice Hicks, a Democratic candidate for state Senate; Monica White, running for Boone County clerk; and Claudette Peterson, campaigning for Pike Township trustee, have all been called the N-word by community members they hope to represent.
On March 25, they shared their thoughts with the local news station 13 WTHR to expose the kind of vile behavior they say often goes unchecked in local politics.
Hicks told the outlet, “I think it’s going to take the larger community to call those bad actors out to shame that type of behavior because there’s no place for hatred or bigotry.”
White added that it’s “simply not acceptable, so one is too many.”
A prominent political figure in Marion County, Peterson, who is in her 70s, received a disturbing response to a mass text message sent by her campaign.
“Shut up, you (N-word),” it read.
“I was somewhat surprised. Pike has become a very diverse community overall,” Peterson said. “I think as a community, it needs to be brought forth and talked about.”
She added, “All we’re trying to do is help people.”
Meanwhile, Hicks and White were subjected to racist vitriol after promoting a community forum via text to voters in Senate District 29 ahead of the May primaries. “Dumb-ass n-words,” read one especially “hateful” response.
Although the campaign identified the perpetrator, the person was not confronted or personally called out. Hicks explained the reasoning, “If this is what you’re taking time out of your day to send such a racist and intense text message back, I don’t know what type of response I’ll get.”
Instead, the candidates chose a different route, turning to local news outlets and other channels to raise awareness, including The Greater Indianapolis NAACP, which released a strongly-worded statement.
“At its 98th National Convention in 2007, the organization held a symbolic burial of the n-word, declaring it incompatible with a just and civil society,” the statement reads, in part. “The NAACP does not engage with or support entities that profit from its use, maintains zero tolerance for its use by public officials and law enforcement and continues to advocate for its recognition as hate speech across all platforms. The stance is clear. The word was buried in 2007, and it has no place in our communities or in the future we are building.”
The activity is all part of a rise in anti-Black hate speech and attacks. The latest data from the FBI, released last year, shows a near-record high for such incidents: 11,634 in 2024, with anti-Black hate crimes making up half of all reported incidents as the most targeted group.
But for these three candidates, the racial insults backfired and have only spurred them to double down on their campaigns.
“It just motivates me to keep going,” Hicks told the outlet. “I think the majority of the community would not support or approve of those type of racial attacks or just demeaning comments at all.”