The crowdfunding site GiveSendGo is facing heavy criticism after a woman who used a racial slur against a 5-year-old Black boy raised more than $750,000 on the platform.
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Shiloh Hendrix went viral after a video surfaced showing her at a playground in Rochester, Minnesota, appearing to call a young Black child the N-word. The moment, captured on April 28th, sparked outrage nationwide. According to her version of events, she believed the child was trying to take something from her son.
Despite the backlash, donors poured in to support Hendrix, who claimed she needed help “protecting her family.” Meanwhile, the child’s family launched their own GoFundMe, which raised $340,000.
Now, GiveSendGo CFO Jacob Wells is speaking out and defending both the platform and Hendrix.
In an interview with NewsNation, Wells acknowledged being “bothered” by the video but said Hendrix is going through “a dark moment.” He criticized the public reaction as a “mob mentality” and warned against what he called cancel culture.
“She didn’t just call a child a racial slur out of nowhere,” Wells claimed, suggesting her reaction was provoked, though he admitted he doesn’t condone hateful language. Still, he stood by the fundraiser’s legitimacy, framing it as a free speech issue.
Wells insisted the platform was simply trying to “be a light” during a difficult time for all parties involved.
But many aren’t buying that.
The video clearly struck a nerve with viewers who saw a grown woman hurling a racial slur at a child, then walking away with three-quarters of a million dollars in donations.
While GiveSendGo continues to host the fundraiser, questions remain: What does it say when someone accused of racism can raise more money than the family of the child harmed by it?
And maybe more importantly, why does defending this keep happening?
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