A coalition of black business owners and leaders held a press conference Tuesday where they demanded corporations, particularly those in Atlanta, Georgia, understand the diversity of opinions in the black community before taking political stances.
The event, which was co-hosted by Black Americans for a Better Future Education Fund and the Georgia Black Republican Council, also sought to call out left-wing activist Stacey Abrams for her role in prompting Major League Baseball (MLB) to withdraw its All-Star Game from the Peach State, telling Americans that Abrams’ views do not reflect that of all black Americans.
“It’s been estimated that Cobb County will lose north of $100 million in revenue and economic activity as a result of baseball’s unilateral decision to relocate the game,” said Raynard Jackson, founder and chairman of the Black Americans for a Better Future Education Fund. “We want to put a human face on this issue today. These are not just mere statistics and data that Cobb County put out.”
“You have one person by the name of Stacey Abrams who lied,” Jackson continued. “She got Major League Baseball to relocate the game. She got corporations like Delta Airlines, Coca-Cola, to come out against the Georgia Integrity Act.”
“Stacey Abrams doesn’t speak for the Black community,” Jackson said in a statement. “She speaks for the White liberals who bankroll her political ambitions. Stacey Abrams doesn’t actually care about making it easier for Black people to vote, she only cares about making it easier for Democrats to vote.”
As Jackson and other leaders spoke at the event, several in attendance could be seen standing around him holding signs that read “Stacey Lies, Business Dies,” “Keep corporate America out of Politics,” and “Independent thinker, independent voter.”
According to the group, Abrams’ rhetoric over the new Georgia Election Integrity Act being “Jim Crow in a suit and tie” led to knee-jerk reactions from corporations such as Delta Air Lines, Coca-Cola, and MLB.
“Black people aren’t stupid, but Stacey Abrams treats us like we are when she suggests that we aren’t even capable of obtaining a photo ID,” said Dr. Lisa Babbage of the Georgia Black Republican Council, who also insisted Abrams’ actions are “insulting” to those who have different political viewpoints.
“Frankly, it’s insulting that corporate leaders were so willing to go along with her narrative of Black helplessness, and it’s patronizing that they thought they were advancing the interest of Black voters by opposing this common-sense effort to ensure free and fair elections for all Georgians,” Babbage added.
Babbage also insisted that “this is not against Stacey Abrams as a person,” but rather the “lies she spits. Lies that are spit in the face of every descendant of slaves who have overcome the economic burdens placed on us by being behind the eight ball.”
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