NAACP calls for Black student-athletes to boycott Southern schools amid redistricting backlash

Key Points:

• The NAACP launched the "Out of Bounds" campaign urging Black student-athletes to boycott Southern colleges in states including Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Georgia, following a Supreme Court ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act.
• The Supreme Court's 6-3 decision deemed Louisiana's majority-Black congressional districts as unconstitutional racial gerrymanders, leading to redistricting efforts that dilute Black voting power in several Southern states.
• The campaign targets universities, mainly in the NCAA Southeastern Conference, that benefit financially from Black athletes while states enact laws undermining Black communities' voting rights; the NAACP encourages support for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) instead.
• The NAACP demands the adoption of state-level voting rights acts and highlights the historical context of racial discrimination in Southern universities, linking current voting rights struggles to ongoing racial justice efforts.
• The Southeastern Conference has previously addressed racial justice issues, such as advocating for Mississippi to change its state flag, but has yet to comment on this boycott campaign.