1/13
53 years ago today Martin Luther King Jr. was shot by a white racist as he stood on the second floor balcony outside his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee. #velshi
53 years ago today Martin Luther King Jr. was shot by a white racist as he stood on the second floor balcony outside his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee. #velshi
2/13
King’s dream, that all people be judged by the content of their character, and not by the color of their skin, is a fight that continues today and was the reason King received a Nobel Peace Prize just three years earlier. He was celebrated with high honors in NYC. #velshi
King’s dream, that all people be judged by the content of their character, and not by the color of their skin, is a fight that continues today and was the reason King received a Nobel Peace Prize just three years earlier. He was celebrated with high honors in NYC. #velshi
3/13
The reception in his hometown, Atlanta, however, was a different story. It was 1964 Atlanta was still a self-segregated city - so plans for an interracial dinner honoring King were not well supported by the city's top business leaders. Tickets weren’t selling. #velshi
The reception in his hometown, Atlanta, however, was a different story. It was 1964 Atlanta was still a self-segregated city - so plans for an interracial dinner honoring King were not well supported by the city's top business leaders. Tickets weren’t selling. #velshi
4/13
The New York Times even wrote a story about it which concerned some in Atlanta. Then-CEO of Coca Cola, J. Paul Austin did something about it. Austin knew first-hand what apartheid had done to South Africa’s economy and was determined that Atlanta not follow suit. #velshi
The New York Times even wrote a story about it which concerned some in Atlanta. Then-CEO of Coca Cola, J. Paul Austin did something about it. Austin knew first-hand what apartheid had done to South Africa’s economy and was determined that Atlanta not follow suit. #velshi
5/13
The Mayor of Atlanta summoned the city’s elite business leaders to the 18th floor dining room of the Commerce Club where it’s reported Austin spoke bluntly saying: #velshi
The Mayor of Atlanta summoned the city’s elite business leaders to the 18th floor dining room of the Commerce Club where it’s reported Austin spoke bluntly saying: #velshi
6/13
"It is embarrassing for Coca-Cola to be located in a city that refuses to honor its Nobel Prize winner. We are an international business. The Coca-Cola Company does not need Atlanta. You all need to decide whether Atlanta needs the Coca-Cola Company." #velshi
"It is embarrassing for Coca-Cola to be located in a city that refuses to honor its Nobel Prize winner. We are an international business. The Coca-Cola Company does not need Atlanta. You all need to decide whether Atlanta needs the Coca-Cola Company." #velshi
7/13
There were no cries of cancel-culture after that. No whining about lies or left-wing ideology. The CEO of an international company saw its city on the wrong side of history and acted. #velshi
There were no cries of cancel-culture after that. No whining about lies or left-wing ideology. The CEO of an international company saw its city on the wrong side of history and acted. #velshi
8/13
Today the corporate world is once again taking action. Major businesses are condemning restrictive voting laws being pushed by Republicans at the state-level. #velshi
Today the corporate world is once again taking action. Major businesses are condemning restrictive voting laws being pushed by Republicans at the state-level. #velshi
9/13
On Friday, Major League Baseball announced the All Star game will be moved out of Atlanta because of the state's new Republican voter restrictions. The Republican governor was outraged by the decision blaming liberal cancel culture. #velshi
On Friday, Major League Baseball announced the All Star game will be moved out of Atlanta because of the state's new Republican voter restrictions. The Republican governor was outraged by the decision blaming liberal cancel culture. #velshi
10/13
It's not cancel culture to respond to democracy-weakening legislation. Stopping people from voting is cancel culture. And once again Coca Cola along with other major corporations based in Georgia have been called on do the right thing. #velshi
It's not cancel culture to respond to democracy-weakening legislation. Stopping people from voting is cancel culture. And once again Coca Cola along with other major corporations based in Georgia have been called on do the right thing. #velshi
11/13
In an historic open letter, 72 Black executives called on all corporations -- no matter their location -- to oppose these voting restrictions. This is happening because of activists who care about protecting the right to vote. #velshi
In an historic open letter, 72 Black executives called on all corporations -- no matter their location -- to oppose these voting restrictions. This is happening because of activists who care about protecting the right to vote. #velshi
12/13
Activists pressed Georgia-based businesses to publicly oppose voting restrictions for weeks before they were signed into law, and then they called on people to boycott those same companies when they failed to speak out. #velshi
Activists pressed Georgia-based businesses to publicly oppose voting restrictions for weeks before they were signed into law, and then they called on people to boycott those same companies when they failed to speak out. #velshi
13/13
It didn't take long for those companies to change their minds. The question now is, will Republicans making these laws do the same? #velshi
It didn't take long for those companies to change their minds. The question now is, will Republicans making these laws do the same? #velshi
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