The NAACP and some of the most powerful Democrats in Washington are telling Black athletes where they should and should not go to college. The NAACP started "Out of Bounds," pressuring black athletes to boycott public universities across eight Southern states. The Congressional Black Caucus joined. Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stood outside the U.S. Capitol to support the campaign.
When did it become acceptable for powerful political organizations and members of Congress to exploit black athletes by making their dreams a bargaining chip in a redistricting battle? Liberty means the freedom to choose. When national organizations pressure black athletes to avoid major universities for political reasons, they make that choice for them. That is not guidance. That is exploitation.
The concerns behind this campaign are based on history. For generations after Reconstruction, Democratic politicians used every tool – literacy tests, poll taxes, rigged district maps, and outright intimidation – to strip black citizens of political power. Civil rights organizations were right to fight back. However, having grievances does not make every strategy the right one. Using black athletes as political pawns is not the right way to fight.
Every person is born with God-given rights and no political organization has authority to bargain away – the right to build your own future, to decide where you learn, compete, and grow. Those rights belong to the black athlete, not the NAACP, the Congressional Black Caucus, or Jeffries.
Some argue this boycott benefits these athletes. Perhaps it does. But that is exactly my point – if the cause is just, black athletes are capable of deciding for themselves whether to sacrifice for it. They do not need to be told that choosing a school with a life-changing NIL deal is a betrayal of their community. That is guilt used as a political weapon.
NIL deals at major colleges give black athletes life-changing money before they are old enough to vote. The Congressional Black Caucus urged young athletes to leave that money on the table. That is politicians gambling with other people's futures to win a redistricting battle that keeps them in power.
This week, the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision allowed Alabama to use its Republican-favored congressional map – immediately eliminating the black congressional seat won by U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Mobile) in 2024. The boycott did not change that outcome.
A black athlete who chooses to attend the University of Alabama is not abandoning the black community. That athlete is planting a flag on ground once violently off-limits to people who looked like him.
James Meredith did not bleed for black athletes to walk away from universities his generation sacrificed to open.
Frederick Douglass told free black citizens to walk through every door that was closed to them and force this country to live up to its own promises. Liberty requires showing up, not walking away. Liberty requires constant vigilance, not boycotts that cost teenagers their futures.
The Democratic Party takes black voters for granted. The Republican Party dismisses them entirely. Both cheat black Americans out of the most basic right in a constitutional republic – the right to be genuinely competed for, listened to, and represented.
Congressional districts should be drawn around geography, population and community – not race – where every party must show up and earn every vote.
I am a graduate of a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). I attended my HBCU by choice. That is the same freedom every black athlete deserves. No organization has the right to turn a teenager's dream into a loyalty test. That is guilt used as a leash – and black athletes deserve better.
Every black American voter deserves to have their vote competed for, their voice listened to, and their community genuinely represented – not managed, not taken for granted.
That is what liberty demands. From everyone.
KCarl Smith is the author of Frederick Douglass Republicans, Telling Conservatives the Truth, Douglass vs. Marx, and its companion guide, Unchained Ascent. A leading authority on the modern application of Frederick Douglass’ philosophy, KCarl equips audiences to turn God-given liberty into personal achievement. To book KCarl or find resources, visit the Frederick Douglass Republican Store.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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