The hashtag #IStandWithErica trended on Twitter on Saturday after a black Georgia state lawmaker said she was told to “go back where you came from” as she shopped at a grocery store.
State Rep. Erica Thomas (D), minority vice chairwoman in the Georgia state House, tweeted Friday that she was “verbally assaulted” at the supermarket by a white man who told her she was “a lazy SOB” because she had more than the maximum items to enter an express lane.
Today I was verbally assaulted in the grocery store by a white man who told me I was a lazy SOB and to go back to where I came from bc I had to many items in the express lane. My husband wasn’t there to defend me because he is on Active Duty serving the country I came from USA!
— Erica Thomas (@itsericathomas) July 20, 2019
Thomas recounted the exchange in a Facebook Live video that has since been reposted to Twitter.
"I’m at the grocery store, and I’m in the aisle that says '10 items or less.' Yes, I have 15 items, but I’m nine months pregnant, and I can’t stand up for long," Thomas says in the video through tears. "And this white man comes up to me and says, 'You lazy son of a bitch.'"
"He says, 'You lazy son of a bitch. You need to go back where you came from,'" Thomas continues, adding that she tried to explain that she was pregnant and not lazy. "It hurt me so bad. ... I couldn't get anything out. I could just tell him, 'Please leave me alone.'"
We have a serious problem in this Country when @itsericathomas is subjected to racism in a Cobb County @Publix in front of her daughter. #gapol. #IStandwithErica thank you @RenittaShannon for alerting me and the @NAACPGA. #NoPlaceforHate. pic.twitter.com/hN5HDS4aG9
— Gerald A. Griggs (@AttorneyGriggs) July 20, 2019
Hundreds used the hashtag to show support for Thomas, including actress Patricia Arquette, who tweeted Saturday that the video was “MANDATORY VIEWING” and added that “WE WILL NOT ALLOW THIS CANCER TO GROW.”
MANDATORY VIEWING - NO THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. NO WE WILL NOT ALLOW THIS CANCER TO GROW. NO THIS CANNOT BE NORMALIZED. #IStandwithErica #racism https://t.co/MJeJOpQtwW
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) July 20, 2019
The now-viral video comes less than a week after President Trump
Donald John TrumpTrump pushes back on recent polling data, says internal numbers are 'strongest we've had so far' Illinois state lawmaker apologizes for photos depicting mock assassination of Trump Scaramucci assembling team of former Cabinet members to speak out against Trump MORE attacked a group of minority progressive congresswomen — Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-CortezOmar says US should reconsider aid to Israel Pro-Trump Republican immigrant to challenge Dem lawmaker who flipped Michigan seat 3 real problems Republicans need to address to win in 2020 MORE (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar
Ilhan OmarWorld Jewish Congress condemns Tlaib for suggesting boycott of Bill Maher's show A lesson of the Trump, Tlaib, Omar, Netanyahu affair Tlaib suggests boycotting Maher show after he calls anti-Israel boycott movement 'bulls--- purity test' MORE (Minn.), Ayanna Pressley
Ayanna PressleyJoseph Kennedy mulling primary challenge to Markey in Massachusetts Ocasio-Cortez brushes off Trump tweet claiming she is 'fuming' over Tlaib, Omar attention Trump finds consistent foil in 'Squad' MORE (Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib
Rashida Harbi TlaibWorld Jewish Congress condemns Tlaib for suggesting boycott of Bill Maher's show F-bombs away: Why lawmakers are cursing now more than ever A lesson of the Trump, Tlaib, Omar, Netanyahu affair MORE (Mich.) — tweeting Sunday that they should “go back” to their home countries despite the fact that all four are U.S. citizens and only Omar was born outside the U.S.
At a campaign rally in North Carolina on Wednesday, supporters erupted into “send her back” chants targeting Omar after Trump attacked the freshman congresswoman, who came to the U.S. as a Somali refugee when she was a child.
