HBCU Team Withdraws From Tournament After Racist Incident

The women’s volleyball team at Talladega College, a historically Black institution in Alabama, withdrew from their conference tournament after one of the players experienced a racist incident at the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) banquet last week, the Associated Press reported.

A “racially motivated picture” was airdropped to the player’s phone at the awards dinner, according to a statement from the SSAC. Officials didn’t specify what the image showed but described the act as “vile and vicious,” the AP reported. The team walked out of the banquet in protest.

“As we continue to try and investigate the source of this incident, our love and support for the women’s volleyball program at Talladega is most important and we will continue to create a safe space for all students associated with the SSAC,” the statement read.

Talladega College issued a statement in support of the team’s response.

“We commend the women’s volleyball team,” the statement from the college read. “We celebrate them for their bravery. We honor them for their commitment to the founding principles of Talladega College as well as the [tenets] of diversity, equity and inclusion.”