Athletic Conference of Historically Black Colleges Rejects Call by the NAACP to Move Its Postseason Basketball Tournament

The local chapter of the NAACP is calling for the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association to move its postseason basketball tournament from Charlotte, North Carolina, to another city. The NAACP disputed the decision of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District to hold classes on the holiday commemorating the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. to make up for a school day lost due to winter weather. The NAACP has also expressed its opposition to the school board’s decision to close some inner-city schools.

The CIAA, a conference made up of 13 historically black colleges and universities, was founded in 1912. It recently renewed its contract to hold its basketball tournament in Charlotte through 2014. In response to the call for the tournament to be moved, the conference commissioner, Leon G. Kerry, stated, “Charlotte is a great partner and host city.”

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