NAACP Calls for Boycott of Southern Universities Over Voting Rights Issues
Following last month’s Supreme Court ruling that further clarified aspects of the Voting Rights Act, Black athletes and fans are urged to take a stand against athletic programs at flagship public universities in the South that allegedly seek to limit or erase Black voter representation.
On Tuesday, the NAACP, along with the Congressional Black Caucus, named eight Southern states where they’re calling for boycott actions: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
Several of these states are home to prominent football programs, such as the University of Alabama, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Georgia, and the University of Mississippi.
The AP reported that the NAACP’s “out of range” campaign encourages current and prospective Black athletes, along with their families and supporters, to withdraw both athletic and financial backing from major public universities that are perceived to be undermining Black voter representation.
If Black players participate in the boycott, it could significantly impact the makeup and strength of college football and basketball programs in the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference, according to the Associated Press.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated that the boycott is a stance against a troubling resurgence of tactics reminiscent of Jim Crow laws. He emphasized that while athletes need to make their own decisions, they would have the backing of lawmakers and civil rights leaders throughout their choice-making process.
“We’re going to support them, and we know they have options,” Jeffries remarked.
The report mentioned that the Congressional Black Caucus had sent letters to SEC Secretary Greg Sankey, ACC Secretary Jim Phillips, and NCAA President Charlie Baker. In these letters, they indicated their opposition to the federal Athlete Contract Act, unless the conferences take a stand against Republican-led redistricting initiatives within states where their influential members are present.
