Author of The 1619 Project Nikole Hannah-Jones alleged in recent social media posts that Europe is "not a continent by definition" and that the heightened concern for Ukraine amid Russia's invasion of the country was prompted by a racial "dog whistle" because its citizens "appear white."
"What if I told you Europe is not a continent by definition, but a geopolitical fiction to separate it from Asia and so the alarm about a European, or civilized, or First World nation being invaded is a dog whistle to tell us we should care because they are like us," Hannah-Jones wrote in a Twitter thread Sunday.
"To be clear: We should care about Ukraine. But not because it is European, or the people appear white, or they are 'civilized' and not 'impoverished.' All people deserve to be free and to be welcomed when their countries are at war," she continued, appearing to suggest awareness for European countries is different than for countries in other regions.
Hannah-Jones then added two tweets to the thread with articles – one from CNN and another from The Telegraph –that she uses to defend her claim of bias European bias.
— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) February 27, 2022
This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into Ukraine last week. The war has led to hundreds of casualties.
The U.S. and its NATO allies have imposed sanctions on Russia, as well as Putin directly.
Lawmakers, athletes, Hollywood entertainers and other public figures have condemned Russia for its attack on Ukraine.