“‘Their work will continue’: NBA players prioritizing social justice initiatives over symbolic protests next season.” 

Herb Ruffin, associate professor and chair of African American studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, was quoted in the USA Today story “‘Their work will continue’: NBA players prioritizing social justice initiatives over symbolic protests next season.” Many players in the NBA used the season to address systemic racism in America through protests at games, but Ruffin warns against relying on symbolic protests alone. “It is necessary to keep it in people’s minds. But when there’s too much of it, it becomes background noise,” says Ruffin.