(ThyBlackMan.com) The acronym, NAACP, is among the more historic and respected ones in this country’s history. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People or NAACP, was formed in 1909 and has been the premier and most well-known civil rights organization in the United States. It has been in the forefront of numerous successful campaigns on behalf the rights of Black people in America, from the effort to suppress lynching to the long struggle to overturn legal segregation and the still-ongoing effort to secure the implementation of racial justice. The growth and evolution of the NAACP mirrors the growth of Black political power and the vigorous debates this process engendered. It is impossible to remove the NAACP’s impact from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Today, there are NAACP State conferences in all 50 American states as well as the District of Columbia and over two thousand local NAACP units nationwide. The state of Texas has been a major recent focus for the NAACP with the intersection of sports and politics that is always present.
During last year’s uprisings and protests in the wake of murders by police of unarmed Black people including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, many college athletes became more outspoken about racist symbols and histories at their universities. The Texas Longhorns have one of the most well-known collegiate athletic brands in America. Many of the Black athletes, especially Texas football players, at Texas began publicly challenging the school song, “The Eyes of Texas” and that is really significant because for most colleges and universities, their schools’ fight song is as important as the school colors. The history behind that particular song is that it was a “satirical song once performed at minstrel shows, which are comedic variety shows featuring white performers in blackface” according to UT Professor Dr. Edmond Gordan. Unsurprisingly, “tradition” won out and the song is still a staple despite the negative attention last year.
Last month, the battle over “The Eyes of Texas” was taken to another level with the Texas chapter of the NAACP and a group of students filing a federal civil rights complaint against the University of Texas for its continued use of that school song. The compliant alleges that the University of Texas creates a “hostile environment” for Black students by continuing to play the “The Eyes of Texas” alma mater song at university events. It also alleges that Black University of Texas students, athletes, band members, faculty and alumni are being subjected to violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The school is remaining entrenched in its position regarding the use of the song and it will take a lot to change that.
“Tradition” and especially the right to have racist traditions are difficult things for organizations to challenge. The pursuit of money and prestige might be a bigger challenge. The NAACP, as a national organization, issued a letter days ago to all major sports players’ associations of the NFL, NHL, NBA, WNBA, and Major League Baseball calling for athletes in free agency to avoid signing with teams that are in Texas in response to the state’s recently enacted voting laws, mask mandates and new restrictions to women’s reproductive freedoms. The NAACP has been battling Texas Governor Greg Abbott over mask mandates in schools and has decided to take another tactic regarding sports. In May, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an abortion law that bans procedures after six weeks of pregnancy. In September, Abbott signed a bill that significantly tightened voting laws.
The two-page letter from the NAACP was written by NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson and says, “I write to you today in an attempt to appeal not only to your influential platforms as highly-regarded athletes but to your respective purposes a parents and roles model for both our children and those in your personal lives. From abortion to voting rights and mask mandates, Texas has become a blueprint by legislators to violate constitutional rights for all, especially for women, children and marginalized communities.” This request by the NAACP will not speak louder to free agent athletes than money will. If Texas sports teams offer a better salary and more money then athletes will sign there regardless of how right-wing or absurd the laws are. There are also several right-wing athletes who likely agree with all or most of the laws or bills that Greg Abbott is enforcing. The NAACP is going to find out that asking athletes, who have limited opportunities to be in their physical primes, to pass on any opportunity to sign with a professional sports team due to the politics within the state is a powerless request.
Staff Writer; Mark Hines