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Church leaders call for Home Depot boycott over Georgia voting curbs

Published 04/20/2021, 09:20 AM
Updated 04/20/2021, 02:05 PM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: The logo of Home Depot is seen in Encinitas

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: The logo of Home Depot is seen in Encinitas

By Hilary Russ and Joseph Ax

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Black religious leaders in Georgia representing more than 1,000 churches called on Tuesday for a boycott of Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD), accusing the home improvement giant of failing to take a stand against the state's new Republican-backed curbs on voting.

In a statement, Bishop Reginald Jackson, who oversees Georgia's African Methodist Episcopal churches, said Home Depot had rejected requests to discuss the new law.

Other Georgia-based corporations - including Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE:DAL) and Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Co - have sat down with activists and issued statements opposing the voting restrictions. Coca-Cola also hosted a meeting of several companies on April 13 with faith leaders.

"If you as corporate leaders do not believe and lack the courage to speak out against this legislation, we will not spend our money to purchase your products," Jackson said.

The Georgia legislation imposed new requirements for absentee ballots, restricted drop boxes and barred people from offering food and water to voters waiting in line.

Republican lawmakers in numerous states have used former President Donald Trump's false claims of voter fraud to back state-level voting changes they say are needed to restore election integrity. Opponents say the laws disproportionately harm minority voters.

Home Depot said on Tuesday it believes "all elections should be accessible, fair and secure and support broad voter participation" and that it would "continue to work to ensure our associates in Georgia and across the country have the information and resources to vote."

It also said it ran its own initiatives, including registering more than 15,000 of its associates to vote.

More than 100 U.S. companies, including Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL), Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Co and Starbucks Corp (NASDAQ:SBUX), have declared their opposition to new voting limits. Major League Baseball pulled its All-Star Game from Atlanta, citing Georgia's legislation.

Republican Governor Brian Kemp on Tuesday defended the law, telling reporters it will make balloting more secure while expanding weekend early voting.

"This insanity needs to stop," he said. "It's time that hardworking Georgians know that instead of boycotting great companies like HD, we should be supporting them."

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: The logo of Home Depot is seen in Encinitas

At a news conference to announce the campaign, several pastors warned that the boycott would escalate if Home Depot did not forcefully denounce the law.

"This is not a Democratic or a Republican issue; this is a moral issue," said Jamal Harrison Bryant of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. "We are telling Home Depot: It is always the right time to do the right thing."

Latest comments

Since when did Home Depot, a company who sells wood and tools become the overseers of how we vote?? What kind of communist garbage is this? This is flat out fake.
check the amount of dollars donated to gain vote for the capitalist practice of giving rich corporations huge tax breaks.
The US Constitution grants each state legislature (not judges and governors) the right to conduct their own elections as they see fit with the only requirement being a free and fair election.  Unlike the last one which state legislatures are now going to remedy making the next one much more difficult to rig
rig???
21 black leaders just wrote a letter saying the Georgia laws are NOT racist.
"the state's new Republican-backed curbs on voting." - This is HORRIBLE writing. The law requires people to show ID when they vote. Any adult not capable of obtaining, possessing, and showing ID to vote should not have their vote recorded due to failure to thrive. I hate how seemingly every media (be it mainstream, social, or tangential) seem to portray this same marxist bias in every article they post.
Sick of these stories, I come on this site for the bottom line of companies, not politics. Reuters = Pravda.
HD earnings skyrocket due to fewer cases of shoplifting .
HD lives matter
I am boycotting your church !!!
Such baloney. Agreed-time to shop at HD
what a bunch of bs
A state has some very suspicious activity during both the general and run-off elections, then takes action to preserve democracy, and that is considered "voter suppression"... What nonsense! I hope more states wake up and correct the mistakes made in the past election! No company can possibly represent the views of all their employees. If members of management want to voice their own opinions, fine, but as a company, I doubt those views are shared by all employees and possibly not even a majority of employees. Stand your ground Home Depot!
GO Q!
the only suspicious activity was by republican candidates and lawmakers.
I have No respect for the journalist who wrote this opinionated article and false statements. Home Depot gets my vote for staying a-political and smart enough to stay out of this ginned up controversy over Georgia’s voter reforms.  Hang tough Home Depot there are many more shoppers who will buy from you if you do then those who will cave to the charlatans.
Buy HD. Sell KO and DAL.
Delawares voting rules are more restrictive than Georgia's, let's Unincorporate our businesses there.
Bet people at Home Depot can at least spell church the correct way. The journalist put “chruches.” 😅
shopping as exclusively as I can at Home depot.
Reuters # again. Why not writing the truth, it is black religous leaders.
Sorry, but I think "religious leaders" covers all colors. Odd that you need to know what color is doing what.
 objection denied. The information is relevant.
I've switch all my building supply orders to Home Depot and I know many other contractors, plumbers and electrician that are doing the same.
Lol u r a jack of all trades.
bet you didn' t
Well done Home Depot! Stand your ground and don't get involved in the corruption and evil that is tearing this country apart, aka the Democrats and extreme liberals. There is a reason we have voting day and not voting week! We also have absentee ballots with strict rules for qualification. These people need to stop playing the race card and grow the f'up, put on you big boy pants and take responsibility for who you are as a person and stop blaming everyone for your short comings!
I'm now a coke drinker and book my flights with Delta
I love HD
Companies need to stay out of politics!! Hang in there HD. I will never drink a coke on a Delta flight again.
I will only buy at home Depot from now on!
i bet you were in line at wally-mart while texting this, too
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