SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Harnessing 'Power of the Purse to Demonstrate Power of Democracy,' NAACP Calls for N.C. Boycott
Group says call is sparked by attacks on workers rights, LGBTQ rights, civil rights, and voting rights
Feb 25, 2017
The NAACP on Friday called for what it described as "the first steps of an international economic boycott" of North Carolina over the state's legislative attacks on voters, workers, and the LGBTQ community.
The organization said it would not hold its convention in the state, and called on over 200 other organizations to join the economic boycott.
The resolution passed by the Board of Directors cites "racially gerrymandered districts," the controversial (and costly) anti-LGBTQ law HB2, and SB4, which limited the power of incoming Gov. Roy Cooper as reasons for the boycott.
If other states pass similar laws, the resolution says the group "will engage in applying various forms of economic sanctions or other appropriate economic or direct action to address these types of discriminatory legislative or executive actions."
"Seldom has such a poisonously partisan few violated the rights of a nonpartisan many: workers rights, LGBTQ rights, civil rights, and voting rights. Therefore, the NAACP must use the power of the purse to demonstrate the power of our democracy. We will use economic leverage, moral persuasion, civil disobedience, and litigation in North Carolina and across the nation--as needed and now. Unrelenting resistance is the order of the day," said NAACP CEO and president Cornell William Brooks.
Added Rev. Dr. Barber, NAACP North Carolina state president: "What has happened in North Carolina makes this state a battleground over the soul of America and whether our nation is sincere about making democracy real for all people, not just those with the right bank account, right sexuality, or right skin."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The NAACP on Friday called for what it described as "the first steps of an international economic boycott" of North Carolina over the state's legislative attacks on voters, workers, and the LGBTQ community.
The organization said it would not hold its convention in the state, and called on over 200 other organizations to join the economic boycott.
The resolution passed by the Board of Directors cites "racially gerrymandered districts," the controversial (and costly) anti-LGBTQ law HB2, and SB4, which limited the power of incoming Gov. Roy Cooper as reasons for the boycott.
If other states pass similar laws, the resolution says the group "will engage in applying various forms of economic sanctions or other appropriate economic or direct action to address these types of discriminatory legislative or executive actions."
"Seldom has such a poisonously partisan few violated the rights of a nonpartisan many: workers rights, LGBTQ rights, civil rights, and voting rights. Therefore, the NAACP must use the power of the purse to demonstrate the power of our democracy. We will use economic leverage, moral persuasion, civil disobedience, and litigation in North Carolina and across the nation--as needed and now. Unrelenting resistance is the order of the day," said NAACP CEO and president Cornell William Brooks.
Added Rev. Dr. Barber, NAACP North Carolina state president: "What has happened in North Carolina makes this state a battleground over the soul of America and whether our nation is sincere about making democracy real for all people, not just those with the right bank account, right sexuality, or right skin."
The NAACP on Friday called for what it described as "the first steps of an international economic boycott" of North Carolina over the state's legislative attacks on voters, workers, and the LGBTQ community.
The organization said it would not hold its convention in the state, and called on over 200 other organizations to join the economic boycott.
The resolution passed by the Board of Directors cites "racially gerrymandered districts," the controversial (and costly) anti-LGBTQ law HB2, and SB4, which limited the power of incoming Gov. Roy Cooper as reasons for the boycott.
If other states pass similar laws, the resolution says the group "will engage in applying various forms of economic sanctions or other appropriate economic or direct action to address these types of discriminatory legislative or executive actions."
"Seldom has such a poisonously partisan few violated the rights of a nonpartisan many: workers rights, LGBTQ rights, civil rights, and voting rights. Therefore, the NAACP must use the power of the purse to demonstrate the power of our democracy. We will use economic leverage, moral persuasion, civil disobedience, and litigation in North Carolina and across the nation--as needed and now. Unrelenting resistance is the order of the day," said NAACP CEO and president Cornell William Brooks.
Added Rev. Dr. Barber, NAACP North Carolina state president: "What has happened in North Carolina makes this state a battleground over the soul of America and whether our nation is sincere about making democracy real for all people, not just those with the right bank account, right sexuality, or right skin."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.