More than 25,000 people have joined a popular campaign on Change.org calling on Google to publicly reject the viewpoints of speakers at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), according to a press release.
Google was among the conference’s top sponsors, having donated at least $20,000 to the gathering.
Atlanta resident Aimee Castenell started the campaign. “Growing up in the South, I heard my parents’ stories about life under Jim Crow laws that limited their opportunities,” said Castenell. “They were terrorized by hate and racism. Even a simple trip to the grocery store could be filled with degradations from people who saw my family as second-class citizens.”
Castenell’s campaign pointed to a number of CPAC 2012 speakers with a history of white-supremacist or anti-gay activity.