The NAACP has initiated a campaign urging Black athletes, former students and supporters to pull their athletic and monetary backing from state universities across the South as those states pursue redistricting efforts stemming from a recent Supreme Court ruling.
The court’s 6-3 decision in “Louisiana vs. Callais” on April 29 diminished the strength of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, declaring that election districts drawn based on racial considerations constitute an “unconstitutional gerrymander.”
Those opposing the ruling have pointed out that the safeguards established by the legislation signed by Lyndon Johnson have been crucial in ensuring Black voters maintain influence in the nation’s electoral process, helping guarantee that Black candidates have viable paths to electoral victory.
Following the court’s decision, several Southern states have started efforts to redesign their electoral maps.
The NAACP responded Tuesday by unveiling an initiative to persuade athletes and their supporters to avoid major NCAA sports programs across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
The group specifically named these institutions: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Clemson, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M.
“Across the South, Black athletes have helped build some of the most profitable college athletic programs in America, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue,” the organization’s website reads. “At the same time, several southern state governments are moving to limit, reduce, weaken, or erase Black voting representation by creating new, unconstitutional voting districts.
“You can’t have one without the other. Profiting off of Black athletes while suppressing their vote is out of bounds.”
The group additionally urged athletes and donors to redirect their support toward Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) instead of the major state institutions in those regions.
The NAACP identified these HBCUs in the targeted states: Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Florida A&M, Fort Valley State, Savannah State, Albany State, Southern, Grambling State, Jackson State, Alcorn State, Mississippi Valley State, South Carolina State, Tennessee State, Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M.
