Create a free Diverse: Issues In Higher Education account to continue reading

Jesse Jackson Plans to Help Grambling Tackle Its Issues

GRAMBLING, La. ― He’s fought for civil rights and negotiated freedom for hostages, but can Jesse Jackson close the rift between students and the administration at Grambling State University?

School leaders told KTBS-TV that Jackson will come to the campus to help promote a period of healing.

The school’s been in the national spotlight since players staged a boycott over conditions and the firing of coach Doug Williams. That protest included refusing to play at Jackson State’s homecoming. The university is considering a lawsuit against Grambling, saying it lost millions because of the cancellation.

Right now, it’s not clear when Jackson will visit, but it’s expected to occur before next month’s Bayou Classic game in New Orleans. Grambling State and Southern University meet for the matchup’s 40th anniversary on Nov. 30.

A New Track: Fostering Diversity and Equity in Athletics
American sport has always served as a platform for resistance and has been measured and critiqued by how it responds in critical moments of racial and social crises.
Read More
A New Track: Fostering Diversity and Equity in Athletics