NAACP, lawmakers call on Alabama, Auburn to ‘stand up’ to redistricting efforts in ‘SEC boycott’
Redistricting changes in several states were spurred by a U.S. Supreme Court decision late last month.
Mason Reed 
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and the NAACP are rallying support for a boycott of eight SEC university athletic programs, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing fight for voting rights.
Legislative Standoff and the SCORE Act
This push follows a stalled effort in the U.S. House to pass the SCORE Act, a piece of legislation aimed at athlete compensation that was pulled from the floor this week. The CBC officially opposed the bill, arguing it would unfairly benefit major athletic institutions that remain silent while Black political power is challenged across the South.
The Context of Redistricting
Tensions remain high following a U.S. Supreme Court decision last month. The court ruled that Louisiana engaged in racial gerrymandering in violation of the Voting Rights Act. In Alabama, the legal battle played out differently after the state appealed an injunction that had mandated two congressional “opportunity districts.” The Supreme Court granted that appeal, greenlighting a map that eliminates one of those districts for this year’s election cycle.
Calls for Accountability
NAACP executive director Derrick Johnson expressed deep frustration with the silence of major universities, stating, “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.”
In Alabama, the pressure is directed squarely at Auburn University and the University of Alabama. Highlighting the influence of these athletes, the CBC noted in a post to X, reposted by U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, that silence in the face of injustice amounts to complicity.
While attempts to reach U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures for comment were unsuccessful, reports indicate that Figures—previously a lead cosponsor of the SCORE Act—joined the CBC in opposing the legislation this week, according to a post on X from Alabama Daily News correspondent Alex Angle.
