Burk says CEOs must resign from Augusta National

ATLANTA - Martha Burk called on members of the Augusta National Golf Club to resign in protest against their chairman, Hootie Johnson, if they believe women should be allowed in. <br> <br> Burk, the chair of the National Council of Women&#39;s Organizations, held a newsconference Thursday saying the group was going to stop trying to influence the club&#39;s chairman. <br> <br> Burk said, ``We turn now to concentrating of the stakeholders the corporate CEOs who have the power as members.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Burk was backed by the National Organization for Women and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition along with other supporters who stood in the cold, wet weather at the Martin Luther King Center. <br> <br> The groups plan to picket this weekend&#39;s Masters golf tournament at the club. <br> <br> Burk says she does not buy Johnson&#39;s claim that members stand solidly behind a policy that keeps women out of the club. <br> <br> Burk added that if members support the policy, they should say so publicly. If they do not agree with the no-women rule, they should resign their memberships. <br> <br> The protesters say they defend the rights of private organizations, but claim the golf club is exempt from those rights because it is a for-profit club that uses public resources. <br> <br> She also accused the CEOs in the club of being hypocrites by promoting diversity in the work place but excluding women from their golf club.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2003/4/180283