Social Justice
NAACP urges professional athletes to avoid Texas over new state laws
The NAACP is urging professional athletes to stay away from Texas.
The NAACP is urging professional athletes to stay away from Texas.
NAACP Letter Urges Professional Athletes To Beware of Texas
The civil rights organization sent a letter Thursday to the National Players’ Leagues, urging professional athletes in free agency to avoid Texas over new laws it says hurt marginalized communities.
The letter
The letter sent to every professional sports players’ association in the country, said recent legislation Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed, ranging from abortion to voting rights to banning COVID-19 mask mandates, has hurt women, children and people of color.
“As we watch an incomprehensible assault on basic human rights unfold in Texas, we are simultaneously witnessing a threat to constitutional guarantees for women, children, and marginalized communities,” the letter signed by NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson and NAACP Texas State Conference President Gary Bledsoe stated.
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 tightened voting laws.
Earlier in the month, Abbott also issued an executive order banned vaccination requirements in Texas.
“Over the past few months, legislators in Texas have passed archaic policies, disguised as laws, that directly violate privacy rights and a woman’s freedom to choose, restrict access to free and fair elections for Black and brown voters, and increase the risk of contracting coronavirus.”
“Texas lawmakers have destroyed the state’s moral compass by passing these laws,” they added.
“In return, we are asking that you seek employment with sports teams located in states that will protect, honor and serve your families with integrity. … We are now pleading with you — if you are a free agent and are considering employment in Texas, look elsewhere.”
Read the two page letter on their website.
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