Many Republican-led states have spent several years enacting laws restricting or banning diversity, equity and inclusion policies and programs. These efforts have become significant features of the Republican platform and have already had a chilling impact on college campuses. However, these states may be facing backlash when it comes to those same colleges, particularly their popular college sports programs, as a new call has gone out for Black athletes to boycott schools where these DEI bans exist.
The latest boycott call comes from the NAACP, which has set its eyes on Florida. On Monday, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson and NAACP Board of Directors Chair Leon Russell sent a letter to NCAA head Charlie Baker. The message rips the policies enacted in Florida under the leadership of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, writing, “From racist voting policies, to unraveling reproductive freedoms and attempting to rewrite Black history, DeSantis has waged war on Black America.” Speaking “to all current and prospective college student-athletes,” the letter declares that “the NAACP urges you to reconsider any potential decision to attend, and compete at a predominantly white institution in the state of Florida.”
The letter comes days after the University of Florida announced that it was eliminating all of its DEI offices to comply with Florida state law, which banned such programs from public universities under the urging of DeSantis, who has made his “Stop Woke” campaign a central point of his public profile. In recent years, the state has issued regulations restricting content about Black and LGBTQ+ people in public schools and published education standards that whitewash slavery. The NAACP has previously issued a warning for Black people about visiting Florida, calling the state “openly hostile” to people of color and LGBTQ+ people. Black fraternities and other organizations have also refused to hold events in Florida.
In response to the growing number of anti-diversity laws, various Black organizations and prominent individuals have been fighting against these DEI bans. The NAACP’s call for a Florida boycott is the latest of several appeals to student-athletes to fight DEI bans. Last month, Birmingham, Alabama’s Mayor Randall Woodfin called on Black student-athletes not to attend public universities in Alabama after that state passed its anti-DEI legislation; Alabama, like Florida, is very prominent in college sports, driven mainly by Black athletes. Earlier this month, NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, who grew up in Florida and played for the University of Florida before joining the Dallas Cowboys, tweeted that he was “utterly disgusted by UF’s decision.” The message called on “the MANY minority athletes at UF” to “please be aware and vocal about this decision by the University who is now closing the doors on other minorities without any oversight.”
— Emmitt Smith (@EmmittSmith22) March 3, 2024
So far, Republican-led states have continued their efforts to dismantle diversity programs in public schools, boosted by last year’s Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action in college admissions. However, time will tell if the possibility that these policies will lead to a boycott by student-athletes from some of the nation’s top college sports programs might cause policymakers to reconsider their stances.
