Kenneth Frazier, CEO of Merck, the pharmaceutical giant with sizable operations in West Point, is helping lead the campaign to get companies involved in protecting voting rights, writes Todd C. Frankel for The Washington Post.

Upper Gwynedd-based Frazier and his Harvard Law School friend Kenneth Chenault are at the forefront of efforts to galvanize corporate power and pocketbooks against legislation they believe is designed to make it harder for minorities to cast ballots. Chenault is also the former chairman and chief executive of American Express.

In their efforts, the two men and a small group of Black business leaders have managed to win the support of many chief executives and companies, including several big hitters such as Delta Air Lines, Microsoft, and Target.

Frazier’s decision to speak out was shaped by his experiences as a Black man and driven by his fears that the basic right to vote is being attacked.

And it was Chenault’s and his involvement that brought much-needed clout to the initiative.

“White executives are more likely to listen to Black executives than to Black grass-roots activists,” said Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation. And “when the Kens call you, you respond.”

Read more about Kenneth Frazier and protecting voting rights in The Washington Post.