Birmingham Mayor Advises Black Athletes To Steer Clear Of Alabama Colleges If Anti-Diversity Bill Passes

Mayor Randall Woodfin says the bill is detrimental to minority student-athletes coming to the state for their education.

Birmingham, Alabama, Mayor Randall Woodfin took to social media to express his discontent with a new bill coming up through the courts. He said that if Alabama passes a bill that bans diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in public schools and universities, parents of minority student-athletes should choose colleges in other states “where diversity and inclusion are prioritized.”

Woodfin referenced the Alabama Senate’s approval of the proposed bill, which bars schools from affirming “divisive” concepts such as “slavery and racism are aligned with the founding principles of the United States.” The bill claims that “fault, blame, or bias should be assigned to members of a race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin, based on race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin.”

The only thing keeping the bill from being signed is a House vote.

Woodfin urged “leadership, athletic directors, and coaches” to consider what the bill is saying.

He continued in his post, “To the parents of minority athletes who are helping their children decide if they want to play sports at those institutions: Would you be cool with your child playing at schools where diversity among staff is actively being discouraged?”

“Although I’m the biggest Bama fan, I have no problem organizing Black parents and athletes to attend other institutions outside of the state where diversity and inclusion are prioritized. If supporting inclusion becomes illegal in this state, hell, you might as well stand in front of the school door like Governor [George] Wallace.”

Woodfin’s post drummed up a lot of responses, both positive and negative.

One Birmingham resident, Kena Clark, showed her support of Woodfin’s stance. Clark said, “He faces a lot of criticism for any position that he takes because he’s a Democrat in a Republican-run state. [He shows] his character and his caring about us as a people. He’s willing to face the criticism and stand up for what we deal with as Black people here.”