According to the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University, African American children were sometimes used to bait alligators in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Newspaper articles and postcards from the time period also highlight the practice.
Lawrence Wright, who is credited with popularizing the cheer after chanting "If you ain't a Gator, ya Gator bait, baby" after a 1995 win, told The Gainesville Sun that he wants to speak with Fuchs about the decision. Wright planned to release merchandise with the phrase, according to the paper.
'Gator Bait
Newspaper articles and imagery from the late 1800s and early 1900s collected by Ferris State University's Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia that portray Black babies being used as bait for alligators.
If you're unfamiliar ... America's past use of "gator bait" truly is disturbing -- reportedly, white men would use African-American babies to lure gators out of swamps so they could hunt them more easily for their skin.
These horrendous practices were well-documented in the early-20th century, but the most frequently cited source is the Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University in Michigan, which houses postcards, product packaging and numerous trinkets that show black children being used as alligator bait.
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