TOWARD BLACK COLLEGES : ACTIVISM-[SPORTS]

On June 2, as Black Lives Matter protesters swarmed America's streets demanding an end to the racist vestiges of America's troubled past -

A teenager from San Diego suburb posted eight words on Twitter that would soon ignite a less visible though perhaps just as powerful movement.

''Going to an HBCU wouldn't be too bad,'' he wrote.

The person behind the Twitter post, which quickly went viral, is one of the most sought after college basketball recruits of the Class of 2023: 16 year-old Mikey Williams.

If he were to attend a historically Black College or university, Williams would become one of the highest rated athletes to do so since schools across the South were integrated half a century ago.

William's post came as a surprise to college sports recruiters and fans who pore over social media for clues about which schools an athlete might be favoring.

To land a recruit like Williams would all but guarantee a team's success and ensure prime time TV placement for their games.

Williams, for averages 30 points per game for San Yasidro High School, had already received offers from some of the country's top basketball programs, including Kansas and U.C.L.A.

In the six days following his tweets, he received another 14 - all from the H.B.C.U's.

Black colleges in the past have considered the effort and resources to recruit elite talent a waste because of the long odds of being selected over a major predominantly white institution.

But in January, LeVielle Moton, the headbasket coach at historically Black North Carolina Central University in Durham, offered a scholarship to LeBron James Jr', a high school freshman known as Bronny who is the son of the National Basketball Association superstar LeBron James.

As more top Black athletes express interest in playing at an H.B.C.U., they are signalling that power 5 institutions may no longer hold the same allure.

''All it takes is one person to change history,''  the N.B.A. star Carmello Anthony wrote on Instagram referencing Williams's comments.

Taylor Land, a standout defensive back for  Liberty University, announced he would transfer to Norfolk State se he could be ''surrounded by people with similar backgrounds and cultural experiences.''

Several other athletes and faculty members also left Liberty recently, criticizing the university's handling of situations involving race.

''We've reached a boiling point. People are truly upset, and they're going to push this further than it's ever been pushed before,'' said Jasmine Gurley, of HBCU Jump, an organization that helps connect top tier recruits to H.B.C.U, alumni, including those who made it to the N.B.A. and the National Football League.

''We want to redirect people to communities and institutions that have historically supported us,'' Gurley said.

As they reflect on the trauma that has afflicted their communities, Black athletes are increasingly recognizing the value of their star power.
''We are the reason that these schools have such big names and such good history............... But in the end what do we get out of it??''

Williams wrote on Instagram the day after his viral Twitter message. ''Anyway I can help make a change in the Black community best believe I am going to do that.''

The Honor and Serving of the latest global operational research on Activism, continues. The World Students Society thanks author, Annika Hammerschlag.