Oxygen and its advertisers: Don't exploit Black families with All My Babies' Mamas

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Shawty Lo, an Atlanta-based rapper, has 11 children by ten women, a girlfriend the same age as his oldest daughters, and — if Oxygen Media executives have their way — a provocative new reality show.

Join us in calling on Oxygen and its advertisers to put an end to this degrading reality show. If you act now by signing this petition, together we can prevent this show from gaining traction before it even airs.

Below are the letters we'll send on your behalf (you can add a personal comment using the box on the right).

Click here to see the letter to Oxygen's advertisers

Dear NBC Universal CEO Steven B. Burke, Oxygen Media President Jason Klarman and Oxygen Media Senior Vice President of Development Cori Abraham:

I am writing to demand that you immediately cease production of All My Babies' Mamas. Your company claims that this show is "daring," but there is nothing daring about your decision to invest in and promote inaccurate, dehumanizing and harmful perceptions of Black families for the sake of ratings and advertising dollars.

When Oprah Winfrey and former Nickelodeon executive Geraldine Laybourne launched the Oxygen cable network in 2000, the company aspired to be a strong advocate for women. But since its purchase by NBC Universal in 2007, Oxygen has steadily increased its stable of cheaply-produced reality television programming that exploits women, children and now Shawty Lo's "unconventional" family.

Research shows that inflammatory images like these can result in real world consequences for our families, including less attention from doctors, harsher sentencing by judges, lower likelihood of being hired or admitted to school, lower odds of getting loans, and a higher likelihood of getting shot by police.

Reality television shows like All My Babies' Mamas should never have the chance to gain traction. I understand that you hope young women of color flock to this show — they deserve better.

I urge you to immediately cease production of All My Babies' Mamas.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

Click here to see the letter to Oxygen's advertisers

Dear Oxygen Media Advertiser:

I am writing to demand that you refuse to support Oxygen Media's show All My Babies' Mamas, currently slated to air this spring. Oxygen claims that this show is "daring," but there is nothing daring about the decision to invest in and promote inaccurate, dehumanizing and harmful perceptions of Black families for the sake of ratings and your company's advertising dollars.
 
When Oprah Winfrey and former Nickelodeon executive Geraldine Laybourne launched the Oxygen cable network in 2000, the company aspired to be a strong advocate for women. But since its purchase by NBC Universal in 2007, Oxygen has steadily increased its stable of cheaply-produced reality television programming that exploits women, children and now Shawty Lo's "unconventional" family.

Research shows that inflammatory images like these can result in real world consequences for our families, including less attention from doctors, harsher sentencing by judges, lower likelihood of being hired or admitted to school, lower odds of getting loans, and a higher likelihood of getting shot by police.

Reality television shows like All My Babies' Mamas should never have the chance to gain traction. Oxygen Media hopes that young women of color flock to this show — they deserve better.

I urge you to refuse to support All My Babies' Mamas.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

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