LeBron James forms voting rights group to protect the Black vote
His organization, More than a Vote, plans to register Black voters and teach people how to counter voter suppression tactics
NBA superstar LeBron James and a number of other hoop stars are launching a new organization to help Black voters protect their rights.
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NBA superstar LeBron James and a number of other hoop stars are launching a new organization to help Black voters protect their rights.
James, Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young, Golden State’s Draymond Green, alongside retired NBA star and commentator Jalen Rose and WNBA star Skylar Diggins-Smith, are the new leadership of “More than a Vote.”
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The organization will register Black voters for the November election and teach voters how to counter voter suppression tactics.
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In an interview with The New York Times, James said, “Because of everything that’s going on, people are finally starting to listen to us — we feel like we’re finally getting a foot in the door. How long is up to us.”
James stated the organization will be vocal about voter suppression and draw attention to attempts to restrict the voting rights of minorities.
The NBA star has never been quiet about his activism. James has built a successful school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. He is also the producer of a number of African American-centered documentaries.
Still, James was famously told by Fox News host Laura Ingraham to “shut up and dribble” in 2018.
“I’m inspired by the likes of Muhammad Ali, I’m inspired by the Bill Russells and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbars, the Oscar Robertsons — those guys who stood when the times were even way worse than they are today,” James told the New York Times. “Hopefully, someday down the line, people will recognize me not only for the way I approached the game of basketball but the way I approached life as an African American man.”
More than a Vote will be organized as a nonprofit organization and will not engage in advocating for any candidate or political party.
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WNBA superstar Diggins-Smith stated that she joined the cause because she wanted to “put some action behind my frustrations, behind my anger, behind the helplessness that I’ve been feeling.”
The organization has also gained a commitment from Kevin Hart and is looking to recruit a number of Black musicians.
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