Color Of Change
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 14, 2021
CONTACT: media@colorofchange.org
Leading Advocacy Groups Successfully Pressure 13 Major Corporations to End Political Donations to GOP Enablers Following Insurrection
Color Of Change, UltraViolet, ACRE Claim Victory for New Commitments to Halt PAC Funding from Amazon, Bank of America, Comcast, Coca-Cola, Google, Microsoft, Disney, and more
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Organizations Leveraged Call Tool, Petition, Grassroots Organizing to Hold Corporate Enablers Accountable
NATIONWIDE — Color Of Change, UltraViolet and Action Center on Race and the Economy (ACRE) today announced they have successfully pressured 13 of the nation’s largest companies this week to end political contributions to Republican politicians and groups as a corporate reckoning deepens in response to last week’s insurrection on Capitol Hill.
Building on years of work to hold large corporations accountable to their employees, shareholders and customers, the leading advocacy organizations have received various commitments from Amazon, Bank of America, Walmart, Disney, Coca-Cola, Google, Microsoft, PwC, Deloitte, Comcast, KPMG, Ernst & Young, and AT&T to pause political donations and cut off funding to the 147 members of Congress who incited the insurrection carried out by the white supremacist mob and voted to overturn the results of a free and fair election.
“Women of color, queer activists, and reproductive justice advocates have been warning about the extremism of the Republican party for years. Corporate America has been complicit and now must be held accountable for how they have funded hate and fascism,” said Sonja Spoo, Director of Reproductive Rights Campaigns at UltraViolet. There are no two sides to this. You either stand with democracy and stop funding those who seek to dismantle it, or you do not.”
As part of the coordinated campaign, Color Of Change launched a call tool for activists to contact corporate decision makers directly, UltraViolet identified corporate enablers and created a petition demanding they stop funding Republican extremism, and ACRE organized grassroots advocates to challenge corporate power platforming and financing white supremacy.
“While we’re pleased to see an increasing number of companies halting political donations in response to pressure from advocacy groups including Color Of Change, ACRE, and UltraViolet, corporate America is not off the hook, and it should take heed of the growing number of people from all walks of life who are speaking up and mobilizing with us to hold corporate enablers accountable,” said Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson. “We should be critical of the fact that many companies are only now taking definitive action, after years of ignoring the dangers of enabling far-right extremists and racist, hate-fueled politicians. Alongside our allies, Color Of Change and our millions of members will continue to hold them accountable for our safety, while working with the federal government to establish new rules of the road that limit corporate America’s outsize power and influence over our democracy.”
Moving forward, the advocacy groups will be closely monitoring FEC filings to ensure these companies hold to their commitments.
“The financial and corporate elite donors are influencing policy to escape taxes and regulation, which in effect extracts from Black and Brown communities. Lining the GOP’s pockets has now further endangered lives and democracy by fomenting racism and xenophobia,” said Saqib Bhatti, Co-Executive Director of Action Center on Race and the Economy. “Companies like Google, Fidelity, Blackstone and Amazon must be held responsible for platforming white supremacist content, funding extremism and profiting from the hate we saw on full display last week.”
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About Color Of Change:
Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force, 7 million people have taken action with Color Of Change this year. We move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more humane and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.
About Action Center on Race and the Economy:
The Action Center on Race and the Economy (ACRE) is a campaign hub for organizations working at the intersection of racial justice and corporate accountability. We provide research and communications infrastructure and strategic support for organizations working on campaigns to win structural change by directly taking on the corporations that are responsible for pillaging communities of color, devastating working-class communities, and harming our environment.
About UltraViolet:
UltraViolet is a community of more than one million people that drives feminist cultural and political change. Through people power and strategic advocacy, we work to improve the lives of women and girls of all identities and backgrounds, and all people impacted by sexism, by dismantling discrimination and creating a cost for sexism.