WASHINGTON (AP) — On Tuesday, the Congressional Black Caucus urged major U.S. corporations, especially those vocal about supporting voting rights and racial justice, to stand against redistricting efforts by Republican-led states aimed at dismantling majority-Black U.S. House districts.
The Black Caucus addressed a letter to over 250 companies, calling on them to denounce these redistricting initiatives, which the lawmakers see as “coordinated efforts to silence Black voices at the ballot box.” Notably, some of these companies had previously joined a campaign urging Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, a Democratic initiative to reinstate and modernize the Voting Rights Act.
This 2021 coalition, known as Business for Voting Rights, included some of the nation’s most influential corporations, such as Apple, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Tesla, Salesforce, Target, PayPal, Intel, and Starbucks.
The letter marks the latest endeavor by the Congressional Black Caucus and its supporters to rally against Republican-led states redrawing legislative maps in ways that undermine Black political representation. This follows a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that significantly weakened a crucial part of the Voting Rights Act, prompting several states to target congressional districts held by Black Democratic representatives.
“Corporations benefiting from Black consumers, relying on Black employees, and gaining wealth partly from Black communities cannot ignore the dismantling of Black political power happening before our eyes,” stated Rep. Yvette Clarke, chair of the Black Caucus, during an interview.
Clarke described the letter as “putting corporate America on notice,” but she said the caucus was not seeking an adversarial relationship with corporations. Among those receiving Tuesday’s letter were companies based overseas that have a significant presence in the U.S.
The caucus last week called for Black athletes to boycott public universities in states that are gerrymandering their congressional maps to eliminate districts held by Black lawmakers. The 59-member Congressional Black Caucus consists entirely of Democrats, including more than a third from Southern states.
Some lawmakers have said mass protests and federal legislation might be necessary to undo the efforts underway in Republican-led states. Any new federal voting rights law would almost certainly require Democrats to secure majorities in both chambers of Congress and win the presidency.
“Many companies that previously issued statements after the murder of George Floyd, pledged billions toward racial equity initiatives, and spoke forcefully in defense of democracy following January 6 now face a defining test of whether those commitments were rooted in principle or convenience,” the caucus’ letter states.
It also represents the latest instance of the caucus expressing frustrations with corporate America. A 2024 Black Caucus report noted that lawmakers were “troubled that some corporations that made pledges in 2020 have taken several steps in the opposite direction,” such as rolling back or failing to follow through on pledges to diversify their workforces.
“We understand who the occupant in the White House is and the reality of Republicans being in charge,” Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada said of the caucus’ message. “But what corporate America also understands is that there will be a shift at some point.”
The letter calls on companies to publicly condemn the redistricting plans, meet with Black Caucus members to discuss corporate America’s role in protecting voting rights and disclose their political donations to Republican politicians in states that are redistricting their congressional maps.
President Donald Trump last year kicked off the unusual mid-decade round of congressional redistricting when he pushed Texas lawmakers to redraw their maps in a way that would add Republican seats. Democratic-led California responded, but it has been mostly Republican states redrawing their lines since as the party tries to maintain its majority in the U.S. House during this year’s midterm elections.
The effort was supercharged by the Supreme Court decision, which allowed even more Republican states to redraw congressional maps that previously had protected minority communities.
Horsford, who chaired the Black Caucus during President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration, said the caucus is demanding that companies “stand on the side of democracy, fairness and equal representation.”
“This is about power, who holds it and what it’s used for,” he said. “And when you’re diluting Black economic and political power, we need to know where these companies stand in this moment, and what side of history they’re on.”