Last night, the death of former first lady Barbara Bush prompted a flood of tributes dedicated to the 92-year-old, including ones from Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and Bushโs son and 43rd POTUS George W. Bush.
But one tweet posted by the Womenโs Marchย Twitter account is facing criticism from those claiming Bushโs legacy contradicts the organization's brand of feminism. The tweet includes of a photo of Bush with the words โrest in peace and power.โ
Critics of the tweet cited Bushโs past opinions on Anita Hill and some controversial comments she made about Hurricane Katrina survivors. One user posted a passage from Bushโs 1994 memoir in which she discusses her thoughts on Hillโs famous sexual harassment claims against Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas. In the passage, Bush basically delegitimizesย Hillโs accusations and is dismissive of โwomenโs groups,โ like the Womenโs March organization. โAll the womenโs groups are up in arms and the hue and cry for Clarenceโs blood can be heard from every side,โ she wrote. โIt is setting a picture that anyone can testify if he or she wants and cause doubts.โ
Yahoo points out that in 2005, Bush was criticized when she said that evacuated survivors of Hurricane would be able to handle the situation because they were โunderprivileged anyway.โ Bush'sย controversial comments attributed to the criticism of the organization's tweet, along with general sentiments that the phrase โrest in powerโ is usually reserved for those denied power or justice while they were aliveโnot to the powerful and privileged like Bush and her family. See more of the criticism below.
