Patagonia Praised For Donating To Fight The New Georgia Voting Laws

Clothing company Patagonia on Wednesday said it would join a Georgia boycott over the state's voting laws and has donated $1 million towards the Black Voters Matter Fund and the New Georgia Project to combat voter suppression.

On March 25, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed sweeping election bills that make it more difficult for Georgians to vote, particularly Black voters. The state has faced harsh criticism and companies like Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines have opposed the legislation.

Patagonia, which was founded in 1973 and is based in Southern California, released a statement announcing its donation, but also explained what business leaders and large companies can do to help fight these laws.

1. Make donations towards organizations like Rise, GALEO Latino Community Development Fund, the Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe, League of Women Voters, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
2. Send a letter to the Georgia senators, if your company is located in the state, and ask them to pass the For the People Act, which makes it easier to vote for everyone, no matter your color or social status.
3. Speak out against these discrepancies.

Patagonia has long been involved in many other causes. Many on social media praised the company for speaking out and joining the Georgia boycott.

Former President Donald Trump backed Kemp and has told Americans to boycott the companies that disagree with the governor.

“Too bad the desperately needed election reforms in Georgia didn’t go further, as their originally approved Bill did, but the Governor and Lt. Governor would not go for it," Trump said. "This bill should have been passed before the 2020 presidential election, not after.”

Patagonia’s website states that it’s a co-founder of Time to Vote, which is a coalition that ensures its employees have time to vote when elections take place throughout the year.