Congressman praises racist heckling. Will his corporate backers stand by him?

On Thursday, Jaylin Smith, a graduate student at the University of Mississippi, participated in a small, non-violent protest calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Smith and the other protesters were greeted by a much larger group of counterprotesters throwing cups of ice water and chanting, "fuck Joe Biden" and "take a shower." 

In a video posted to X Thursday evening by journalist Stacey Spiehler, the counterprotesters are shown aggressively taunting Smith. One student counterprotester is mocking Smith, who is Black, by imitating a monkey. 

"At a university which promotes diversity, equity and inclusivity, I’m standing for my right to free speech and getting things thrown at me," Smith told the Mississippi Free Press. "It takes our white, our Black, our Brown, our Asian students to stand up for everybody. Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere."

Spiehler's video was reposted by Richard Hanania, who has written "articles for white supremacist publications under a pseudonym" in which he "expressed support for eugenics" and opposed "race mixing." Hanania stopped writing for those publications but now "makes explicitly racist statements and arguments" under his real name. On X, Hanania described the video with the monkey imitation as "beautiful," praising the men for "mocking the Hamas loving fat girl." (In another video, protesters can be heard screaming "fuck you fatass" and "fuck you bitch" at Smith.)

Congressman Mike Collins (R-GA) then reposted Hanania's video. "Ole Miss taking care of business," Collins remarked. 

Collins' endorsement of the racist taunting of Smith quickly received national media attention. In a statement, University of Mississippi Chancellor Glenn Boyce condemned the conduct of counterprotesters, calling it "offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable, including actions that conveyed hostility and racist overtones." Phi Delta Theta fraternity announced it kicked out the student who imitated a monkey in the video, asserting that his "racist actions" were "antithetical to the values of Phi Delta Theta." 

Collins, meanwhile,  has not responded to requests for comment from the Associated Press — or Popular Information — even as he continues to post on X about other topics. Three days later, the video and Collins' endorsement of the counterprotesters remain on Collins' account. 

This is not the first time Collins has been engaged in bigoted commentary on social media. In March, Collins participated in a vehemently anti-Semitic attack against a Washington Post journalist on X. Collins endorsed a post by a racist meme account, @GarbageHuman23, who attacked journalist Maura Judkis for being Jewish. @GarbageHuman23 also frequently posts bigoted memes about Black people, LGBTQ people, and others. 

Collins, who was first elected to Congress in 2022, bills himself a pro-Trump outsider. But, in his reelection campaign, Collins has attracted the financial support of many of the country's most prominent corporations. Now that Collins has unapologetically endorsed racism, will these corporations maintain their support for Collins?

Coca-Cola, Verizon, Delta, AT&T, and the other companies supporting Collins

Coca-Cola's corporate website says there is "no place in our world for racism" and Coca-Cola has "a duty to strive for greater justice and equity within our own company and throughout society." Specifically, Coca-Cola announced in November 2020, as part of its "racial equality plan," that it would donate nothing from its corporate PAC to "candidates who make egregious or inflammatory remarks in the equality and inclusion area." 

Coca-Cola's PAC donated $2,500 to Collins' reelection on June 6, 2023, and another $2,500 to October 13, 2023. Popular Information asked the company if it would seek a refund from Collins in light of his inflammatory remarks about the protest at the University of Mississippi. Coca-Cola did not respond. 

In an April 2023 press release, Verizon stated that it remains "steadfast in our commitment to a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion both within our own company and in the communities we serve." In Verizon's 2022 proxy statement, the company touted its support for "social and racial justice." In a 2021 tweet, Verizon said it stands "with the Black community to create a better tomorrow."

On January 31, 2024, Verizon's PAC donated $1,000 to support Collins' reelection. Popular Information contacted Verizon and asked if it would continue to support Collins' in light of his commentary regarding the protest at the University of Mississippi. Verizon did not respond. 

In June 2020, Delta CEO Ed Bastian released a memo stating, "we need to do better as a nation and as a society to take on racial inequality and injustice." Bastain added that Delta also needed "to do better as a company." In the memo, Bastain said he understood there was skepticism about his commitment to these issues because "[p]romises have been made and forgotten many times throughout our history." In February 2021, Delta said it was committed to becoming an "anti-racist, anti-discrimination organization" and that it wanted to "be held accountable for achieving these goals." In October 2023, Delta touted its support for "racial justice and public education efforts." 

Delta's corporate PAC donated $2,500 to Collins on December 12, 2023. Asked whether Delta would continue to financially support Collins' reelection in light of its professed support for racial justice, the company did not respond. 

In May 2020, AT&T decried the "racism faced by Black people in America today" and pledged its advocacy for "equality and inclusion" will continue "for the future." In June 2020, the company tweeted that "[s]ilence is no longer an option" and people must "stand unapologetically for equality and justice, and firmly against systemic racism." In March 2021, the company said it "stand[s] firm for equality and remain committed to doing our part to advance racial equity and justice for all." AT&T said it has been "at the forefront of civil rights advocacy and the fight for equality" since the 1960s. 

AT&T's PAC donated $1,000 to Collins' reelection campaign on April 19, 2023. The company did not respond to a request for comment.

Other corporations that made PAC contributions to Collins' reelection include American Airlines, Boeing, Cox Enterprises, Goodyear, Home Depot, Southwest Airlines, T-Mobile, and UPS. Those companies did not respond to a request for comment about Collins' remarks and their support for his reelection campaign.