ATLANTA — Georgia faith leaders called for a nationwide boycott of Home Depot on Tuesday after weeks of talks with corporate executives over Georgia’s new voting law.
The leaders of several major churches held a news conference Tuesday at the Home Depot location in Decatur to announce the boycott against the state’s largest public company.
The group says Home Depot has not done enough to oppose the law, which they say restricts access to voters of color.
Among those calling for the boycott are the Rev. Timothy McDonald III, senior pastor of First Iconium Baptist Church and founder of the African American Ministers Leadership Council; the Rev. Jamal Bryant, senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church; and the Rev. Lee May, lead pastor at Transforming Faith Church.
“Corporate leaders, particularly national corporations whose home base is in Georgia did not speak out. Some of them met privately with the Governor’s office, the state legislatures and applauded the legislation,” Bishop Reginald Jackson said in a statement. “After faith leaders threatened to boycott, several corporations who had applauded the legislation reversed themselves and spoke out against it. We need to commend companies like Coca Cola, Delta Air Lines.”
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Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey and Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, presiding prelate of the Sixth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church held a closed virtual meeting last week to push corporate leaders to come together against the law. The group has requested companies’ support with the legal action that would have the law ruled unconstitutional.
Home Depot did not participate in the meeting and aren’t expected to respond to calls to boycott.
Kemp tweeted Tuesday morning, calling the boycott “absolutely ridiculous.” In a news conference Tuesday afternoon, he lauded Home Depot’s products and the company’s foycus on philanthropy and said it’s not fair to boycott the company.
“I’m here today supporting my friends and hard-working Georgians at Home Depot, and any other Georgia companies that are being boycotted by people not telling the truth about Senate Bill 202,” Kemp said. “They did not ask to be in this political fight, and it’s not fair to them, their families or their livelihoods to be targeted.”
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