CBC Announces Unanimous Opposition to the SCORE Act Amid Silence from College Athletics Leadership on Attacks Against Black Political Power

Today, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke (NY-09) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement:

"Congressman Shomari Figures and Congresswoman Janelle Bynum, who had been engaged in efforts to improve the bill and address concerns raised by members and stakeholders, will not be supporting the SCORE Act. As a result, the Congressional Black Caucus stands united in opposition to the bill.

"The Congressional Black Caucus cannot support legislation benefiting major athletic institutions that continue to remain silent while Black voting rights and Black political power are being systematically dismantled across the South.

"In the wake of the Supreme Court's Callais decision, states across the South have moved rapidly to redraw congressional maps in ways designed to dilute Black voting strength, weaken Black representation, and undermine decades of hard-fought civil rights progress secured through the Voting Rights Act.

"This is not politics as usual. This is a defining moral moment for our country.

"For generations, Black athletes have helped build college athletics into one of the most powerful and profitable industries in American life. The success, visibility, and cultural influence of major athletic conferences and institutions are inseparable from the talent, labor, leadership, and cultural contributions of Black communities. Yet at the very moment those same communities face coordinated attacks on their democratic representation, too many leaders across college athletics have chosen silence.

"The Congressional Black Caucus believes institutions that profit from Black talent and Black communities have a responsibility to stand with those communities when their fundamental rights are under attack. Silence in the face of injustice is not neutrality - it is complicity.

"The Congressional Black Caucus has transmitted formal letters to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, ACC Commissioner James J. Phillips, Ph.D., and NCAA President Charlie Baker demanding immediate engagement and a public response regarding the ongoing assault on Black political representation throughout the South and across the nation.

"While the letters were directed to the SEC, ACC, and NCAA because of their influence, reach, and unique footprint throughout the South and college athletics broadly, the concerns raised by the CBC extend far beyond any one conference or governing body and apply across college sports as a whole.

"The CBC is actively evaluating additional steps and will continue using every legislative, political, and public platform available to defend Black voting rights, fair representation, and the integrity of American democracy."