Vermont state Rep. Ruqaiyah “Kiah” Morris, (D-Bennington)
Vermont state Rep. Ruqaiyah “Kiah” Morris, (D-Bennington) has decided against running for re-election in the state’s House, citing the online harassment and racist threats made during her tenure as among the reasons why.
Morris, the only black woman in the Vermont Legislature, won the Democratic nomination to serve a third term in August. However, the representative said in a Facebook post on Friday that the online vitriol has made political participation difficult.
“The last four years of service have been incredible; an enormous honor and significant responsibility,” Morris, 42, wrote. “The last two years have been emotionally difficult for many. Political discourse, and in particular within the sphere of social media has been divisive, inflammatory and at times, even dangerous.
“It is my hope that as a state, we will continue to demand greater support and protections for one another from those forces which seek to divide and destroy our communities,” she wrote. HuffPost reached out to Morris for further comment.
