Democrats, NAACP promote segregation by urging black students to boycott southern college athletic programs over redistricting

The NAACP and Democrats are urging black college student athletes to boycott southern athletic programs over Republican redistricting efforts taking place across the country ahead of the midterm elections.

The NAACP campaign, called "Out of Bounds," calls on black athletes, as well as their families, school alumni, and fans, "to withhold athletic and financial support from public universities in southern states attacking Black voting rights" until the states the schools are located in meet a list of demands.

That list includes adopting a state Voting Rights Act, repealing congressional maps "that dilute Black voting power," restoring prior maps "that reflect the state’s Black population and voting strength," committing to "transparent, community-centered redistricting processes," protecting black-majority districts, and ceasing "using state power to weaken Black representation while public institutions profit from Black talent."

The campaign targets schools in eight southern states: Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. "Athletics at these flagship universities each bring in at least $100 million annually from national television deals, alumni donations, merchandise sales, and ticket sales — much of it powered by Black football and basketball talent."

Louisiana’s redistricting effort culminated in the Supreme Court ruling that the Voting Rights Act "did not require Louisiana to create an additional majority-minority district," and that the map the state was forced to create "is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander." 

The NAACP urged black student athletes to consider Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) instead of the targeted state schools, stating that they "continue to be a safe space for Black talent, education, and culture."

Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, said, "What these states have done is not a policy disagreement. It is a sprint to erase Black political power. These actions happened in days, in some cases in hours, of a Supreme Court ruling that gives extremist lawmakers a playbook to erode Black representation. The NAACP will not watch the same institutions that depend on Black athletic prowess to fill their stadiums and their bank accounts remain silent while their states strip Black communities of their voice. Out of Bounds is our answer: we are naming the contradiction, and we are calling on Black athletes, families, fans, and consumers to act on it. The same power that built these programs can be redirected. And it will be."

At a recent press conference at the Capitol, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, "In the absence of fairness as it relates to black political representation, there should be no athletic participation as it relates to institutions that are housed in states that are experiencing a dramatic return to racially-oppressive Jim Crow-like tactics." 

Rep Gregory Meeks wrote, "You can’t benefit from the talent of Black athletes & stay silent as Black political representation is under attack. Today, the Black Caucus joined NAACP Pres. Derrick Johnson to call out the hypocrisy of SEC colleges & stand against voter suppression in Black communities."

Rep Steven Horsford wrote, "Today I joined the Black Caucus and NAACP in the fight to protect Black voting rights, fair representation, and the integrity of our democracy. As attacks on voting rights and representation continue across the country, we must use every political and economic power of our communities."