Representative Ilhan Omar said Sunday she supports boycotts in Georgia over the state’s new voting laws, breaking with activist Stacey Abrams on the issue.
Speaking to CNN’s “State of the Union,” Omar (D-Minn.) Was asked if he agreed with Major League Baseball’s decision to withdraw its All-Star Game from Atlanta in protest of the law.
“We know that the boycotts have allowed justice to be done in many areas. The civil rights movement took root in the boycotts. We know that apartheid ended in South Africa because of the boycotts, ”said the Minnesota Progressive Congresswoman.
“So our hope is that, you know, this boycott will bring about changes in the law because we understand that when you restrict people’s ability to vote, you create a democracy that doesn’t fully work for all of us and if we do it for to continue to be a beacon of hope for all democracies in the world, we must maintain our position, “he continued.
Abrams, the failed candidate for the 2018 Democratic governorship, filed her case against the boycott in a publication published Wednesday by USA Today, after weeks of public outrage, including Hollywood and numerous corporations.
“[B]oyots are complicated matters that require a long-term commitment to action. I have no doubt that black voters, especially black voters, are willing to endure the difficulties of boycotts. But I don’t think it’s necessary yet, “he wrote in the piece.
The legislation in question, signed by Gov. Brian Kemp late last month, revises electoral protocols in Peach state, setting new restrictions on postal voting and increasing legislative control over the voting process.
President Biden initially referred to the bill as “Jim Crow on steroids” the day after his signing, but went further last Wednesday, saying he would “strongly support” the move to the mid-summer classic of the MLB in protest.
“I think today’s professional athletes act incredibly responsibly,” Biden said in an interview with ESPN. “It simply came to our notice then. People look at them. They are leaders. “