[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change PAC

 

 

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John,

Since news broke that Disney had donated nearly $300,000 to the sponsors
and supporters of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Color Of Change PAC has
worked to get Disney on the right side of history.^1 Our demands are
simple: 

* Disney must stop funding bills that block the teaching of accurate
Black and LGBTQ+ history;
* Disney must work to stop Georgia’s new anti-LGBTQ+ bill.^2 They must
use their considerable wealth and influence to lobby against the bill
and threaten to pull film production from the state if the legislation
is made into law; and 
* Disney must direct their political giving to candidates committed to
making our country a more loving and inclusive place.

[ [link removed] ]Donate now to help fund our work to STOP Disney from funding hateful
bills! 

Our work has been a whirlwind so far. All this happened in just one week:

* On Sunday, March 6th, Disney CEO Bob Chapek sent out an internal memo
to all Disney workers that justified the company’s decision to remain
silent on the bill. As soon as the memo leaked, we reached out to
Disney and scheduled a meeting to discuss our concerns.^3 
* After our meeting with Disney, we jumped into action; we sent emails
to over a million Color Of Change members asking them to take action,
and demanded that Disney halt their political giving to bigoted
politicians that peddle hateful anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-Black history
legislation.
* On Wednesday, March 9th, Chapek walked back the memo, publicly
announced that Disney did not support the legislation, and called
Florida’s governor to express Disney’s opposition to the bill.^4 
* On Friday, March 11th, Chapek released a statement in which he
apologized for Disney’s silence over the bill and said that he “missed
the mark in this case.” He also stated that Disney would suspend
political donations in Florida and reexamine how they engage in
political advocacy.^5

Since then, we have made progress in forcing Disney to take aggressive
steps to end its funding of this kind of legislation. Thousands of Color
Of Change members like you stepped up; over 7,000 members sent emails to
Disney’s CEO, and over 13,000 members signed our petition. We’re not done
yet, but Chapek’s moves so far show just how powerful we are when we act
together.

[ [link removed] ]CAN YOU CHIP IN TO HELP US GET DISNEY ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY? 

There is still more to be done. Just this week, hundreds of Disney’s
LGBTQ+ workers and allies staged walkouts at several Disney parks and
buildings to protest Disney’s willful funding of hateful legislation
across the country.^6 Color Of Change PAC stands in solidarity with these
brave workers, and we’re doing what we can to make Disney do the right
thing… but we can’t do it alone.

It’s because of people like you that we can afford to do this work,
John, but there is so much more we must do. 

Though Disney has paused political donations in Florida, they are still
funding legislation like this across the country. We need your help to
fund our work and find out exactly who Disney is giving to in states like
Ohio, Texas, and Georgia and hold them accountable for funding hate bills.
We must keep communicating with our members and make sure that Bob Chapek
knows EXACTLY how we feel about Disney’s political giving.

For every state that passes heinous anti-Black history and anti-LGBTQ+
legislation, millions of Black people will suffer. In a system where
political contributions can make or break the success of a candidate or
proposed legislation, we must demand better from major corporations like
Disney. If Disney is going to keep capitalizing on queer and Pride-themed
branding with Pride events and merchandise, they must meet our demands and
hold themselves accountable in a concrete way.^7 Can you help us get them
there by donating today?

[ [link removed] ]Power our work by donating today!

Until justice is real,

- Jade Magnus Ogunnaike

 

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References

1. Judd Legum, Tesnim Zekeria, and Rebecca Crosby. “The inside story of
how Disney turned its back on the LGBTQ community,” Popular Information,
March 8, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 

2. Tat Bellamy-Walker, “Georgia legislators introduce a Florida-style
'Don't Say Gay' bill,” NBC News, March 10, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

3. Judd Legum, Tesnim Zekeria, and Rebecca Crosby. “The inside story of
how Disney turned its back on the LGBTQ community,” Popular Information,
March 8, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 

4. Frank Pallotta, “Disney CEO says he will meet with Ron DeSantis to
oppose 'Don't Say Gay' bill,” CNN, March 9, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

5. Sarah Whitten, “Disney pauses political donations in Florida, CEO
Chapek apologizes for silence over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill,” CNBC, March 11,
2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

6. Brooks Barnes, “Disney Employees Walk Out Amid Furor Over Florida
Legislation,” New York Times, March 22, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

7. Anthony Armenia, “Gear Up For Pride Month with A Colorful Array of
Disney Pride Products,” Disney, May 3, 2021,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]


 

Paid Pol. Adv. paid for by ColorOfChange PAC, 1714 Franklin St., Oakland, CA 94612, independently of and not authorized or approved by any federal, state, or local candidate or candidate’s committee.

Color Of Change PAC is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Contributions to Color Of Change PAC are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.

This email was sent to [email protected].

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