Hakeem Jeffries and NAACP Call for College Sports Boycott Over Southern Redistricting

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, together with the Congressional Black Caucus and the NAACP, called on college athletes and supporters to withhold athletic and financial support from public universities in eight Southern states—Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. The appeal follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in *Louisiana v. Callais*, which significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act and spurred aggressive redistricting that threatens Black voting representation.

The lawmakers specifically targeted schools in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), describing the new district maps as "Jim Crow‑like racially oppressive tactics" and stating, "We are here standing in solidarity with the NAACP and its call for athletes to boycott institutions within the SEC that belong to states that have unleashed these Jim Crow‑like racially oppressive tactics, which is unacceptable, unconscionable and un‑American." NAACP President Derrick Johnson added, "In this moment, our democracy is in crisis."

The boycott request also referenced the SCORE Act, a pending bill that would allow college athletes to be compensated. The CBC withdrew its support for the legislation, arguing that universities cannot benefit from athlete compensation while remaining silent on redistricting that erodes Black representation.