Derrick Coleman was known for making history with his basketball prowess, but recently, he made history for a stance that he’s taken off the court.
The former NBA veteran has become the first Alabama native to decline a state recognition ceremony in response to the fallout from congressional redistricting, AL.com reports.
Taking to his social media, Coleman formally announced that he is turning down his induction into the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame, noting that he could not celebrate the prestigious athletic milestone “while remaining indifferent to the collective struggle that made that achievement possible.”
“We cannot settle for silence,” Coleman said. “We must continue to organize, mobilize, vote, challenge unfair maps, and demand fair representation at every level. Democracy will not fall on our watch.”
In his statement, Coleman noted that Alabama’s voting laws are attempts to turn the clock back to when Black Americans and other citizens of color did not have full voting rights.
”We are living history all over again. The Supreme Court has weakened the Voting Rights Act, and the fight for our vote, our voice, and our future remains under attack,” Coleman explained. “Even now, federal courts continue to strike down voting maps designed to unlawfully discriminate against Black voters.”
In Alabama, a federal court ruled that the state’s congressional map unlawfully diluted Black voting strength. Yet despite these rulings, battles over voting rights, district maps, ballot access, and political representation continue across the South,” he continued. “States including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas have all faced significant legal, legislative, or public challenges regarding voting rights, electoral representation, and the political influence of Black communities.”
Following the Supreme Court striking down the Voting Rights Act of 1965, thousands of demonstrators gathered in Montgomery for the All Roads Lead to the South National Day of Action “to speak out against the ruling and to begin organizing to keep fighting.
After a dominant four-year career at Syracuse University, where he was named the 1990 National Player of the Year, Coleman was selected as the number one overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets (now Brooklyn Nets). The 6-foot-10 left-handed forward won the 1991 NBA Rookie of the Year award. earned two All-NBA Third Team selections (1993, 1994) and a 1994 All-Star nod.
During his 15-year NBA career, Coleman played for the Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Charlotte Hornets, and the Detroit Pistons.
