The NAACP Wants Black Athletes to Boycott Southern Colleges After Supreme Court Ruling

Since February 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has been passionate about fighting to ensure the economic, political, and social equality of all individuals and to eliminate racial hatred and discrimination. Over the years, the NAACP has done everything from spearheading the historic Brown v. Board of Education case to launching the Anti-Lynching Movement.

The NAACP has been instrumental in elevating Black voices, especially at a time when concerns are dismissed. And while there is still so much work to be done, especially with the current presidential administration, the organization has not taken its foot off the gas. As such, the organization has launched a new campaign, “Out of Bounds,” prompting Black college-bound athletes to boycott several southern universities.

According to ABC News, the request for the boycott is simple: The NAACP doesn’t want universities to have the advantage of Black athletes at their disposal, given that various states have stripped Black people of their rights. In case you’ve been out of the loop, in April 2026, the Supreme Court decided to weaken parts of the Voting Rights Act.

“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,” NAACP National President and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement via the outlet.

Derrick’s notion of states stripping Black communities comes from the unprecedented decision that allows various states the option of not having to consider race when drawing electoral districts. This means that racial minority voters will not have the opportunity to elect their chosen candidates.

Keep in mind, The Voting Rights Act was enacted in 1965 to protect minority voters who long faced discrimination in elections. That said, the 6-3 ruling declared that using race to draw two majority-Black districts in Louisiana was an “unconstitutional racial gerrymander.” And of course, many states, including Louisiana and Tennessee, are already following suit.

The NAACP is fighting back with the “Out of Bounds” campaign. It’s no secret that many southern colleges and universities scout Black talent in order to up their school’s profile. So, since many states are taking action to harm the Black community through voter suppression, this campaign is a way to clap back where it hurts.

Per ABC News, the Out of Bounds campaign asks Black athletes to withhold their commitments to the following universities: Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Georgia.

"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," NAACP states. "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."

And of course, many Black leaders and politicians are standing firm with the NAACP.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., of the House Democratic Caucus in the U.S. Congress has made it clear that he supports the Out of Bounds campaign.

“We will continue to stand with the NAACP in encouraging athletes in our community to look elsewhere until these racially gerrymandered maps in the South are reversed, buried in the ground never to rise again,” he said via the outlet.