Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has resigned his position on the CMA Foundation’s board of directors shortly after his appointment was announced on Thursday.
Huckabee’s hard-line politics and anti-gay views didn’t sit well with the music community. Jason Owen who owns Sandbox Entertainment and Monument Records sent notice to the CMA that his artists would no longer participate in the foundation’s activities if Huckabee was involved with the board.
He wrote in a statement, “I will not participate in any organization that elevates people like this to positions that amplify their sick voices. This was a detrimentally poor choice by the CMA and its leaders. I only wish the best for you and I know how hard you work for the foundation but a grossly offensive decision like this only makes your job harder and diminishes the foundation’s purpose.”
Owens clients include Little Big Town, Kacey Musgraves, Midland, Faith Hill and Dan and Shay.
CMA board member Joe Galante told USA Today in a statement that Huckabee was elected to the board because he “led an impressive administration while serving the state of Arkansas and his policy experience with education reform is something we are fortunate to be able to learn from.”
In his resignation letter to the CMA Foundation, Huckabee wrote, “I genuinely regret that some in the industry were so outraged by my appointment that they bullied the CMA and the Foundation with economic threats and vowed to withhold support for the programs for students if I remained.” He also stated in the letter, “If the industry doesn’t want people of faith or who hold conservative and traditional political views to buy tickets and music, they should be forthcoming and say it.”
The CMA Foundation is the charitable arm of the Country Music Association that supports music education programs across the country.
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