Merck CEO Ken Frazier is leading an effort among Black business executives to push corporate America to be more vocal in favor of voting rights.
A group of Black business executives are pushing corporate leaders in the U.S. to take a stand against efforts to restrict voting access, following a new law in Georgia that critics say will disproportionally hurt voters of color.
Two of the organizers—Merck CEO Ken Frazier and Ken Chenault, former American Express CEO—appeared Wednesday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” describing the effort as a moral obligation in the face of longstanding injustices against Black voters.
“Corporations have to stand up. There is no middle ground,” said Chenault, who was one of the first Black chief executives at a Fortune 500 company. “This is about all Americans having the right to vote, but we need to recognize the special history of the denial of the right to vote for Black Americans, and we will not be silent.”
