By State Representative Eric Bell (D-Jonesboro)
(616 words)
We are standing at a critical crossroads where the very ground of our democracy is being cut from beneath our feet. Right now, politicians are working in the dark to gerrymander our boundaries, dilute our representation and systematically erase the collective voice of Black and brown voters. Let us be clear: when a state suppresses your right to vote, it is telling you exactly how little it values your life.
For too long, we have watched Black and minority athletes pour their blood, sweat and tears into generating billions of dollars in wealth and prestige for institutions that sit in deafening silence while our communities are structurally disenfranchised. We can no longer dedicate our brilliance to systems that worship our talent on Saturdays but diminish our citizenship on Tuesdays. In the spirit of self-determination, justice and absolute economic power, I am issuing a line in the sand.
I am calling on every conscious student-athlete, every recruit and every fan to immediately withhold your labor, your presence and your hard-earned dollars from the public athletic programs that refuse to stand against this assault on our rights. I am talking about the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Kennesaw State, Mercer, the University of West Georgia and all other SEC, ACC, Sun Belt or any institution and conference in a state that does not support, respect and defend your sovereignty. Do not give your power away to those who will not defend your humanity. True power is never requested—it is exercised. By walking away, we send an undeniable shockwave through their system: if we have no rights, you have no games.
Instead, I urge you to take your undeniable genius and redirect it to the sacred institutions built to love, educate and protect us. Georgia is home to a legendary vanguard of Historically Black Colleges and Universities that are ready to be fueled by your power. Take your five-star talent to Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, Savannah State, Albany State, Fort Valley State and Paine College. Choosing an HBCU is not a step down; it is a monumental step up into a legacy of resistance and intellectual excellence. Let us stop building palaces for people who tolerate us and start building powerhouses for the people who love us.
And, I refuse to let our leverage stop at the stadium gates. I am demanding that we apply this exact same uncompromising standard to the corporate boardrooms of this state. If a corporation depends on our dollars to survive but refuses to publicly fight for the permanent codification and strengthening of the Voting Rights Act, then we must starve them of our capital. If you finance the politicians driving voter suppression or if you choose the cowardice of neutrality, you are our oppressor.
The clock has run out on waiting, and the time for begging for our basic rights is over. Let us stand together as an unbreakable wall of solidarity, weaponizing our economic leverage and our athletic brilliance to shift the very foundations of this state. We must take our God-given talents where they are genuinely valued, celebrated and protected. The ball is entirely in our hands, the stadium lights are on, and it is time for us to play to win.
Therefore, I fervently support the call to boycott and divest from any institution, any university, any corporation or any entity that remains active, complacent or silent during this direct attack on Black, minority and poor communities. We will no longer subsidize our own subjugation. We will vote with our feet, we will speak with our absence, and we will build an undeniable future of true freedom, justice and equality on our own terms.
Representative Eric Bell represents the citizens of District 75, which includes a portion of Clayton County. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2023 and currently serves on the Defense & Veterans Affairs, Human Relations & Aging and Small Business Development committees.
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The views expressed above and information shared are those of the author.