August 12th 2025.
The Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, a historic Black establishment located in Washington, D.C., has taken legal action against the New York chapter of The Proud Boys, a white nationalist group. According to WTOP, the church is claiming that The Proud Boys have been using their name and logo on merchandise without permission, as the church holds the trademark for "Proud Boys."
In a lawsuit filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York, Metropolitan AME has accused the Hudson Valley chapter of The Proud Boys, as well as their president William Pepe and 100 unidentified individuals, of trademark infringement. This includes the use of the group's name and their black and yellow wreath logo in online recruitment efforts and merchandise sales. The church has also sent a cease-and-desist letter to Pepe, demanding that the chapter stop using the name within their communications.
Despite The Proud Boys' denial of any connection to white supremacy, Metropolitan AME is seeking to redefine the meaning of "Proud Boys" to align with their own mission of love and humanity. They hope to shift the association away from white supremacy, hatred, and violence, and instead promote goodwill. This conflict between the group and the church has been ongoing for five years, stemming from an incident in December 2020 when The Proud Boys damaged Black Lives Matter signs at two historically Black churches following a pro-Donald Trump rally.
In a previous legal battle, a D.C. judge had ruled in favor of the church, awarding them $2.8 million in damages and condemning The Proud Boys for their hateful and racist actions. However, the New York chapter and Pepe have allegedly violated the trademark by failing to pay the multimillion-dollar judgment for their vandalism. In the lawsuit, a group of attorneys representing Metropolitan, including Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, and Paul Weiss, have stated that The Proud Boys' unauthorized use of the trademark goes against the court's ruling and diminishes its value.
The church was granted the trademark rights in February 2025, after The Proud Boys only paid $1,500 of the judgment. This allows Metropolitan to seize any profits made by the group through the sale of items bearing the trademark. On their website, Metropolitan has embraced the yellow and black color scheme, creating their own merchandise with phrases like "Stay Proud, Stay Black." This has been seen in public, with a photo shared by Dr. Jen Golbeck on Twitter, showing an individual wearing a Metropolitan version of The Proud Boys shirt with the added phrase "Black Lives Matter" at the bottom.
In a related matter, The Proud Boys' national leader Enrique Tarrio had his prison sentence pardoned by former President Donald Trump after his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Tarrio proudly denounced the court's initial ruling on the trademark dispute, stating, "I wipe my ass with it."
Additionally, it has been announced that Black churches are eligible to apply for a grant to preserve African American heritage, providing support for the community and their important institutions like the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church. This highlights the significance of the church's fight to reclaim the Proud Boys trademark and redefine its meaning, promoting love and unity instead of hate and violence.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
