Campaign seeks recognition for journalist who helped desegregate the NFL

A campaign led by the Chicago Crusader Newspaper Group and William Claire Harding’s nephew is pushing for overdue recognition of the journalist’s role in opening the NFL to Black athletes in 1946. The effort highlights Harding’s challenge to the league’s exclusionary practices and his impact on professional football and American public life.

Why it matters: - William Claire “Halley” Harding helped force the NFL to open its doors to Black athletes 80 years ago. - The campaign argues Harding’s role has not received recognition equal to the impact of the change he helped drive. - Harding’s push helped reshape professional football and expanded opportunities for Black players, coaches and executives. - The effort comes as the NFL opens its 2026 season and the league’s diversity remains central to its identity and business.

What happened: - The Chicago Crusader Newspaper Group is launching a campaign with Harding’s nephew to seek broader recognition for Harding. - Harding was a former Negro League Baseball player and sports editor at the Chicago Crusader. - In 1946, Harding led a push to desegregate the NFL, a year before Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color line. - The campaign says Harding challenged the NFL’s exclusion of Black athletes while the league was still operating under a racial pact known as “The Gentlemen’s Agreement.”

The details: - In 1945, Harding worked at the Black-owned Los Tribune Newspaper when the Cleveland Rams sought to move to Los Angeles and play at the publicly owned Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. - No African American athlete had played or coached in the NFL since 1933. - On Jan. 15, 1946, at a meeting of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission, Harding publicly challenged Rams officials and NFL owners about the exclusion of Black athletes. - Harding argued that a team using a taxpayer-supported public facility should not be allowed to discriminate. - Harding used his column “So What,” public statements and support from the Black community to pressure the Rams to act. - On March 21, 1946, the Los Angeles Rams signed former UCLA All-American Kenny Washington while Jackie Robinson looked on in support. - The Rams later signed Woody Strode, Washington’s UCLA teammate, who later became a movie actor. - Dorothy R. Leavell, owner and publisher of the Chicago Crusader Newspaper, said Harding understood the NFL could not reach its full potential while qualified Black athletes were kept out. - Leavell said Harding challenged injustice and helped professional football become better. - Geoff Harding said his uncle’s story showed that one person’s courage can help change an institution. - Geoff Harding said the story needs wider national attention. - In 2021, the Los Angeles Times published a front-page story about Harding’s efforts. - At the 2022 Super Bowl, Viola Davis recognized Harding in a three-minute televised tribute. - In August 2022, the National Association of Black Journalists posthumously awarded Harding its Pioneer Award. - Harding’s accomplishments have been captured in copyrighted script form, and plans are being considered for a film adaptation.

Between the lines: - Harding’s case is about more than football history. The campaign is framing him as a catalyst for broader social change. - The release argues that Black players’ visibility helped challenge racial assumptions and expand representation in American public life. - The recognition push also reflects a familiar pattern in civil rights history: major contributors are often celebrated long after the institutional change becomes widely accepted.

What's next: - The Chicago Crusader Newspaper Group and Harding’s family are seeking greater public recognition for his role. - A film version of the screenplay is being considered. - The campaign appears aimed at building wider awareness around Harding’s place in NFL and civil rights history.

The bottom line: - Harding helped make the modern NFL possible, and supporters now want his name attached to that turning point.