I just watched the internet melt down over a Sarah Huckabee Sanders campaign ad about Medicaid work requirements, and the part that really shows people's true colors is not what they think. Folks were furious because the ad used Brad, a white guy on the couch with his cheese puffs, and suddenly the comments were full of people acting like that made the message unbelievable. One right-wing pastor even said the ad would be more believable with someone Black. That is exactly the problem.

This is bigger than one ad and bigger than one politician. For years, people have been fed a racially coded welfare script, and so many have gotten comfortable with it that when real Arkansas data shows over 54% of enrollees in major assistance programs like Medicaid expansion are white, they still cannot handle seeing that reflected back at them. While I do not live in Arkansas, I can assure you this happens in various cities and states across the country, maybe even yours. That kind of messaging does real harm. It stigmatizes families who need care, fuels division, and keeps us fighting stereotypes instead of fixing poverty and health care access.

I am calling on state leaders, starting with Arkansas–you're welcome—to adopt clear standards barring racially coded stereotypes in any state-connected public benefit messaging, outreach, or taxpayer-funded communications. If officials want to debate policy, then debate policy honestly. Do not lean on dog whistles, caricatures, or narratives that train people to see public assistance through a racist lens while ignoring the actual facts and the actual people affected.

Based on the campaign ad backlash and racist rhetoric that ensued, I believe Arkansans deserve better than political math tricks and old biased scripts. They deserve honesty, dignity, and public conversations grounded in reality. If you are tired of seeing families used as props in these narratives, sign this petition and demand that Arkansas stop normalizing racially coded benefit messaging.