29 Oct 1999 NAACP Baseball Boycott Bites Blacks; Boycott of Detroit Tigers Owner Could Hurt More Than Help
“Don Baylor is one of an increasing number of black coaches in the Major League,” said Project 21 member Michael King. “However, it would be detrimental to those individuals for any team to have a black manager simply because he is black and not because he is the best qualified individual for the position.”
Like its boycott of South Carolina for having the Confederate battle flag flown over the state capitol, the NAACP’s boycott strategy stands to hurt blacks more than help them. In South Carolina, boycott supporters are turning their backs on black businesses and the companies, restaurants and other businesses that employ black South Carolina residents. In Detroit, Illitch already awarded over $60 million in construction contracts to minority developers to build the Tigers’ new Comerica Park stadium. In addition, his Little Caesar’s pizza is a big employer in urban areas across America. Financial pain inflicted on Illitch’s businesses and those in South Carolina could result in an unintentional but direct negative backlash against the black community.
“How often do these baseless boycotts work anyway? When was the last time a business was so effected by an NAACP boycott that it made an impact?” added Project 21 member Tara Wall. “This effort by Mfume is more smoke and mirrors, another attempt to inflame minorities and work them up into a tizzy before we even know whether any true discrimination exists.”
Project 21 has been a leading voice of the African-American community since 1992. For more information, contact David Almasi at (202) 507-6398 x106 or [email protected], or visit Project 21’s website at http://www.project21.org/P21Index.html.