Black Fortune 500 executives want companies to fight Republican voting restrictions

New York (CNN Business) Some of the nation's most prominent Black business leaders are calling out their Fortune 500 peers for their muted response to new laws that restrict voting across the country.

Merck chief executive Ken Frazier and Berkshire Hathaway director Kenneth Chenault were among the 72 Black executives who signed a letter released Wednesday challenging other corporate leaders to be more forceful in condemning what both said were deliberate attempts by Republicans to limit the number of Black Americans casting ballots in key states.

"Many people died for the right of Blacks being able to vote," Chenault told CNN Business on Wednesday. "What we're calling on corporations to do is not just say they believe strongly in the right to vote. It's to publicly and directly oppose any discriminatory legislation and all measures designed to limit any individuals ability to vote."

Former American Express CEO and current Berkshire Hathaway director Kenneth Chenault looks on during the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection on February 13, 2015 in Stanford, California.

The letter recounts the history of efforts to restrict African Americans' voting rights during and prior to the Civil Rights movement and calls on the larger business community to use its influence to stop efforts to limit voting.

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