Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Advertisement
    • Contact Us
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    Advertise With Us
    • Home
      • COVID-19 Resource Center
        • Dr. Henry Louis Gates’ PSA Radio
      • Featured
    • News
      • State
      • Local
      • National/International News
      • Global
      • Business
        • Commentary
        • Finance
        • Local Business
      • Investigative Stories
        • Affordable Housing
        • DCS Investigation
        • Gentrification
    • Editorial
      • National Politics
      • Local News
      • Local Editorial
      • Political Editorial
      • Editorial Cartoons
      • Cycle of Shame
    • Community
      • History
      • Tennessee
        • Chattanooga
        • Clarksville
        • Knoxville
        • Memphis
      • Public Notices
      • Women
        • Let’s Talk with Ms. June
    • Education
      • College
        • American Baptist College
        • Belmont University
        • Fisk
        • HBCU
        • Meharry
        • MTSU
        • University of Tennessee
        • TSU
        • Vanderbilt
      • Elementary
      • High School
    • Lifestyle
      • Art
      • Auto
      • Tribune Travel
      • Entertainment
        • 5 Questions With
        • Books
        • Events
        • Film Review
        • Local Entertainment
      • Family
      • Food
        • Drinks
      • Health & Wellness
      • Home & Garden
      • Featured Books
    • Religion
      • National Religion
      • Local Religion
      • Obituaries
        • National Obituaries
        • Local Obituaries
      • Faith Commentary
    • Sports
      • MLB
        • Sounds
      • NBA
      • NCAA
      • NFL
        • Predators
        • Titans
      • NHL
      • Other Sports
      • Golf
      • Professional Sports
      • Sports Commentary
      • Metro Sports
    • Media
      • Video
      • Photo Galleries
      • Take 10
      • Trending With The Tribune
    • Classified
    • Obituaries
      • Local Obituaries
      • National Obituaries
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    Entertainment

    Georgia Loses Another Prize Due to Voter Suppression

    Ron WynnBy Ron WynnApril 15, 2021No Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pinterest Tumblr Reddit Email
    Will Smith, left and Antoine Fuqua
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
    Advertisement

    By Ron Wynn

    NASHVILLE, TN — The state of Georgia continues to suffer in the wake of their most recent voter suppression legislation. Monday Antoine Fuqua and Will Smith announced they are moving production on their big-budget, runaway slave thriller “Emancipation” out of Georgia in protest over the controversial new voting restrictions.

    This is the latest backlash as Gov. Brian Kemp and the state legislature passed laws many  critics maintain amount to voter suppression, aimed at reducing the turnout of people of color. They came after former President Donald Trump’s false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, and after Georgia voted for a Democrat for president for the first time in decades. The rules shorten the duration of absentee voting, require absentee voters to produce identification, limit the use of drop boxes and make it a crime to hand out free food or water to voters standing in line.

    “At this moment in time, the Nation is coming to terms with its history and is attempting to eliminate vestiges of institutional racism to achieve true racial justice,” Fuqua and Smith said in a joint statement. “We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access. The new Georgia voting laws are reminiscent of voting impediments that were passed at the end of Reconstruction to prevent many Americans from voting. Regrettably, we feel compelled to move our film production work from Georgia to another state.”

    “Emancipation,” which was scheduled to begin filming on June 21, stars Smith as Peter, a fugitive from slavery who is fleeing Louisiana in the hopes of traveling north to freedom. Fuqua will direct from a script by William N. Collage. Fuqua Films and Smith’s media company Westbrook Inc. are backing the film, which sold to Apple Studios in a deal reportedly valued at $120 million.

    Some media companies such as ViacomCBS and AT&T have criticized the restrictions, while others have remained silent. Top talent has been more outspoken. Filmmakers like James Mangold and actors such as Mark Hamill have vowed to boycott film and television production in Georgia while the new voting law is in place.

    In addition, major Georgia-based corporations such as Delta and Coca-Cola have condemned the law, and Major League Baseball opted to move the All-Star Game out of Atlanta. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier, Starbucks Chairwoman Mellody Hobson, AMC chief Adam Aron and former American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault are urging top chief executives to join a public pressure campaign on the state over its legislation.

    “Emancipation” is based on a true story. Smith’s character “Whipped Peter” was an enslaved person who emancipated himself from a southern plantation and joined the Union Army. In 1863, photos taken of Peter during an Army medical examination first appeared in Harper’s Weekly. Known as “The Scourged Back,” one image shows Peter’s bare back, lacerated by a whipping he received on the plantation where he was enslaved.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Ron Wynn

    Related Posts

    The Weeknd Ignites Nissan Stadium with a Night of Fire, Emotion, and Unforgettable Hits

    August 13, 2025

    Famed singing group releases new music

    August 6, 2025

    Roland Barber gives farewell concert at the Nashville Jazz Workshop

    July 25, 2025

    World class performer appears at Black Music Museum

    July 17, 2025

    WATCH: Glynn Turman receives a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame July 10

    July 9, 2025

    Sly Stone, Maestro of a Multifaceted Hitmaking Band, Dies at 82

    June 12, 2025

    Comments are closed.

    Advertisement
    Business

    Toon appointed new role at MMCV

    August 16, 2025

    FARM BUREAU INSURANCE OF TENNESSEE CEO JEFF PANNELL ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

    August 11, 2025

    Six Tennessee Companies Compete in Regional Pitch Competition on Aug. 14th

    August 9, 2025
    1 2 3 … 386 Next
    Education
    Education

    Fisk University Earns National Recognition for Commitment to First-Generation Student Success

    By Fisk UniversityAugust 17, 2025

    NASHVILLE, TN (August 5, 2025) – FirstGen Forward, formerly the Center for First-generation Student Success,…

    Dr. Belle Wheelan Retires, Leaving Southern Colleges Stronger and More Accountable

    August 17, 2025

    APSU’s Meisch named to Clarksville-Montgomery County IDB board of directors

    August 11, 2025

    Distinguished Educator and Author Joins Fisk University as Executive Director of John Lewis Center for Social Justice

    August 10, 2025
    The Tennessee Tribune
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Store
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact
    © 2025 The Tennessee Tribune - Site Designed by No Regret Media.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Our Spring Sale Has Started

    You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/