In the wake of the Louisiana vs. Callais decision to gut the Voting Rights Act, the NAACP calls upon athletes to withhold support from colleges in southern states affected by redistricting efforts.
In May, the NAACP launched the Out of Bounds Campaign, urging Black athletes, families, and fans to suspend financial support of flagship public universities that generate more than $100 million in annual revenue in eight Southern states: Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Texas, and Georgia.
“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,” Derrick Johnson, President & CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement.
In the same statement, the NAACP declared the campaign “will remain in effect until targeted states adopt state-level voting rights protections, repeal maps that dilute Black voting power, restore congressional and judicial districts that reflect the Black population’s actual strength, and commit to transparent and community-centered redistricting processes”.
Ways You Can Participate in the Out of Bonds Campaign:
Athletes & Families:
- Delay commitments to targeted istitutions
- Ask coaches and athletic directors where they stand on voting rights and fair representation
- Consider HBCUs
- Use NIL platforms to bring awareness
- Encourage peers not to let their athletic value be separated from their community’s political power
Fans & Alumni:
- Do not buy tickets to football or basketball games at targeted institutions
- Do not purchase merchandise, jerseys, or licensed apparel
- Do not donate to athletic departments, booster clubs, or NIL collectives connected to targeted programs
- Redirect that spending to HBCUs
