ALEC & the Alcohol Industry
The African American advocacy organization Color of Change is setting its sights on the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) for its role in “pushing discriminatory voter ID legislation that suppresses the votes of blacks, the elderly, youth and other minorities.” Specifically, Color of Change is seeking to pressure the corporations that underwrite ALEC to withdraw their financial support.
According to the Sourcewatch site for the Center for Media and Democracy, alcohol companies which have been involved with ALEC include Anheuser-Busch, Coors, and Miller. Currently, Diageo’s Vice President of Government and Trade Relations, Kenneth Lane, sits on the ALEC Private Enterprise Board.
Diageo, like many other major alcohol producers, publicly celebrates “diversity” with its employee resource groups like the African Heritage Employees at Diageo (A.H.E.A.D.) and the [GLBT] Rainbow Network. Yet, in light of Diageo’s affiliation with anti-democratic groups like ALEC, this embrace of diversity appears to be just another tactic to soften up target markets.
