Color Us United’s Attack on the Poor

Color Us United and its president, Kenny Xu, have engaged in a campaign to discredit The Salvation Army and dissuade the public from supporting our work. They have done so for the purpose of furthering their own political agenda, at the expense of The Salvation Army’s reputation and the service we provide to more than 30 million people in need each year.

Citing a few sentences from a voluntary discussion guide on racism that was issued by The Salvation Army’s International Headquarters in London and later withdrawn, Color Us United has suggested that The Salvation Army asked donors to apologize for the color of their skin, that The Salvation Army endorses and teaches Critical Race Theory, and that The Salvation Army believes America is an inherently racist country. These claims are false, and they distort The Salvation Army’s mission for the benefit of Color Us United’s ideological and political gain.

As Color Us United’s president, Mr. Xu has also called for The Salvation Army to eliminate positions focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. That’s not going to happen. The work of ensuring equal opportunity and treatment within The Salvation Army is far too important not to be intentional about it.

The Salvation Army’s Response

Let us be clear. We have never said that America is a racist country. We have never said that our donors should apologize for the color of their skin. And we have never endorsed a political or social ideology other than that found in the Bible.

The fact that any politically motivated group is working so hard to force a faith-based organization to conform to that group’s chosen ideology should give pause to all reasonable individuals. It’s wrong, and it’s reckless.

These attacks from Mr. Xu and Color Us United have the potential to significantly impact those who are hungry, families who are at risk of losing their homes, survivors of natural disasters, and more. For us, it’s always about people. But for Color Us United, it’s clearly about politics.

Help Us Set the Record Straight

If you see the false claims from Color Us United on social media, we ask you to help us set the record straight. Share the link to this page, or the link to one of the videos from our National Commander at the top of this page. Help us make it clear that while Color Us United may be focused on political gains, The Salvation Army is focused, as it always is, on our mission to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs in His name without discrimination.