Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Launches $100,000 TV Ad Buy Promoting Civil Rights Activist Al Sharpton's Call for Increased Diversity on Delaware's Courts

DOVER, Del., Nov. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware (CPBD) placed a $100,000 TV ad buy featuring civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton calling for more progress on diversifying Delaware's courts.

This past October, civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton held a press conference at Ezion-Mount Carmel United Methodist Church in Wilmington, DE to praise Delaware Governor Carney for his appointment of Court of Chancery Vice Chancellor Tamika Montgomery-Reeves to the Delaware Supreme Court, the first person of color ever named to the State's highest court.

Until the appointment, Delaware was one of 18 states that had never had an African American justice on their high court and was one of 13 since 1960 that had never had a non-white Supreme Court justice. CPBD spent the months prior to Governor Carney's appointment leading the charge in calling for more diversity in Delaware's courts, starting with an African-American to fill the Supreme Court vacancy.

The new ad features Sharpton's comments on Governor Carney's appointment, including his call to replace Justice Montgomery-Reeves on the Chancery Court with another person of color so that Delaware can "repair the institutional neglect of people of color in the judiciary of the State."

"We strongly support Reverend Sharpton's demands," said CPBD Campaign Manager Chris Coffey. "As our ranks have grown to over 5,000 Delawareans who agree Delaware's judiciary is in dire need of more diversity, transparency, and accountability, we're proud to take his message to the airwaves.

Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is a group made up of more than 5,000 members including employees of the global translation services company TransPerfect, as well as concerned Delaware residents, business executives and others. They formed in April of 2016 to focus on raising awareness with Delaware residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the issue. While their primary goal of saving the company has been accomplished, they continue their efforts to fight for more transparency in the Delaware Chancery Court. For more information on Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware or to join the cause, visit DelawareForBusiness.org.

Contact: Chris Coffey, [email protected]

SOURCE Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware