On Thursday, Georgia passed a new law that makes it harder to vote. Critics say it unfairly targets Democrats in general and Black voters in particular.
Now, the state is facing possible economic consequences…and America’s past time may be leading the charge.
Atlanta is scheduled to host Major League Baseball’s annual All-Star Game this July, but Tony Clark, the executive director of the powerful MLB Players Association, told the Boston Globe that “players are very much aware” of the controversial Georgia legislation.
Clark added, “As it relates to the All-Star Game, we have not had a conversation with the league on that issue. If there is an opportunity to, we would look forward to having that conversation.”
In 2017, the NBA moved their All-Star Game out of North Carolina to protest state laws that the league said discriminated against members of the LGBTQ community.
Activist in Georgia are hoping for a similar action in the wake of Thursday’s legislation.
Bishop Reginald Jackson of the AME Sixth Episcopal District, has called for a boycott of Atlanta-based Coca-Cola until the soft drink giant takes a public stand against the new bill.
“We will speak with our wallets,” Jackson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “This past summer, Coke and other corporations said they needed to speak out against racism. But they’ve been mighty quiet about this.”
Oscar-nominated filmmaker James Mangold, who directed ‘Logan’ and “Ford v Ferrari,” said he won’t film in Georgia in the future. The state’s film industry has exploded in recent years.
Meanwhile, NBC News reports that “LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, has started a campaign to pressure Georgia-based businesses to oppose the voter restrictions.”
NBC News adds that Democracy Docket, a voting right platform, said in a statement Friday that Aflac, Delta Air Lines, Home Depot and UPS are among the companies being pressured to speak out against the law.
