Five years ago, more than 200 major companies — including Target, Amazon, Airbnb, Nike, H&M USA, Starbucks, and META (then Facebook)—called on Congress to restore the protections of the Voting Rights Act.

Now, the Congressional Black Caucus has made it clear that they are holding corporate America’s feet to the fire. Amid unprecedented voting rights rollbacks and anti-Black map redistricting, the caucus pressed these companies to speak out against GOP-led redistricting efforts that could weaken Black voting power ahead of the midterms.

In letters sent to more than 250 corporations, caucus members argued that now is the time for businesses that have previously pledged support for voting rights and racial equity to speak out.

“Corporations that have profited from Black consumers, relied on Black workers and amassed wealth in part from Black communities cannot look away while Black political power is dismantled in plain sight,” Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., chair of the Black Caucus, said per NBC.

The Tuesday announcement lands as redistricting battles intensify across the South, with Republicans in several states trying to redraw maps in ways that could add House seats or eliminate districts with large Black populations.

“Many companies that previously issued statements after the murder of George Floyd, pledged billions toward racial equity initiatives, and spoke forcefully in defense of democracy following January 6, now face a defining test of whether those commitments were rooted in principle or convenience,” the caucus's letter states.​

This week, however, Alabama judges said the state’s proposed map was “intentionally discriminatory” and could not be used for the 2026 elections. A temporary victory in an ongoing saga.

For the CBC, the issue is bigger than one map. The caucus says the fight is about whether Black communities will have a fair shot at representation in Congress as states rush to lock in new districts before voting starts. The group is also asking companies to reveal political donations tied to the redistricting push and to meet with lawmakers about protecting voting rights. They’ve been asked to respond by June 9.

The corporate appeal taps into an earlier wave of business activism, when many of the same companies joined efforts supporting the John Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2021 after the 2020 racial justice protests and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Now, with the House majority once again on the line, the CBC is trying to turn those public commitments into pressure on elected officials.

“Black Americans are not merely stakeholders in democracy - we are consumers, workers, entrepreneurs, creators, and drivers of the American economy,” the letter said. “Our labor has helped build this country. Our dollars fuel industries across every sector. And our purchasing power shapes the success or failure of brands every single day.”

Considering the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion support, as well as other labor protections for Black workers, the possibility that companies will respond favorably to the letter feels grim. However, some would say, no response is a response.

“This is about power, who holds it and what it’s used for,” said Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada, per ABC. “And when you’re diluting Black economic and political power, we need to know where these companies stand in this moment, and what side of history they’re on.”