Tag: More Than a Vote

More Than A Vote released a new podcast on COVID-19 vaccine

‘More Than A Vote’ teamed with Jemele Hill and Bakari Sellers to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine in the Black community.

Among the several things that LeBron James has going on, including working on getting back to playing shape after missing the past month with an ankle injury, James is becoming even more involved in the political sphere.

In particular, his voting rights advocacy group, More Than A Vote, is using its power to promote awareness and provide clarity on the COVID-19 vaccine.

Earlier this month, More Than A Vote released its first foray outside of the electoral sphere as they teamed with Jemele Hill and Bakari Sellers to produce a two-part podcast about the COVID-19 vaccine and the Black community.

The goal is to provide historical context to potential hesitations about the vaccine, while also presenting facts about vaccines to encourage a quicker end to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately affected Black and brown communities.

“While Black Americans are no more skeptical of taking the COVID vaccines than any other population group, those who are hesitant have an incredible amount of history to point toward to justify their position,” said More Than A Vote Chief Communications and Content Officer Michael Tyler. “Our goal is to fully unpack that history and demonstrate that even as vaccine distribution hits full speed, the racist nature of the American healthcare system is not a relic of the past but a current burden that stands in the way of justice for our community and a full and equitable recovery from the current pandemic.”

Part 1 of the podcast is on the feed of the “Jemele Hill Is Unbothered” podcast while Part 2 is on the feed of “The Bakari Sellers Podcast.”

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LeBron James comes back at Ted Cruz after Cruz attacks ‘More Than A Vote’

The Texas Senator shared a video from “More Than A Vote” starring Michael Vick and chose to insult Vick rather than understand the issue.

LeBron James may not be on the court but he won’t sit ever sit idly when he feels disrespect. That goes for politicians as well. And the latest politician to go after LeBron James and get a response out of him was United States senator from Texas, Ted Cruz.

LeBron has been a vocal opponent of Cruz before, but this time Cruz directly insulted something very important to James. “More Than A Vote” the non-profit organization LeBron James and Maverick Carter helped found to combat voter suppression shared a new video with former NFL quarterback Michael Vick. Vick had been part of ‘More Than A Vote’ as a voice and someone who the organization helped, as Vick’s quest to restore his voting rights after being a convicted felon were chronicled by “More Than A Vote.”

As states like Georgia and Florida try to make voting more difficult, “More Than A Vote” turned to Vick again. Which is where Cruz decided to share the video with Vick and turn it into a comment on the dogfighting charges that landed Vick in jail, which Vick served his time for. James then shared a quote from author James Baldwin in response to Cruz’s insult.

James has gone at Cruz before. During the 2018 midterm elections, during which Cruz was up for re-election, James wore a hat for challenger Beto O’Rourke during a game in Cruz’s state of Texas.

James did this while he and his team are in Charlotte for the final game of their road trip on Tuesday night.

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LeBron James tweets about forming Atlanta Dream ownership group after Georgia senate runoff

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was talking about buying the Atlanta Dream from sitting U.S. senator Kelly Loeffler of Georgia.

LeBron James, like many around the country and the world on Tuesday, had their eyes on Georgia and the two senate runoff elections that would determine the majority in the United States senate. And one of the races has NBA ties, with Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler being the owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, in a runoff against Raphael Warnock.

As of this publishing, Warnock has declared victory with still some votes to be counted and him in the lead of Loeffler. With the election looking like it will go against Loeffler, who has questioned why WNBA players should say “Black Lives Matter,” LeBron James took the occasion as an opportunity to call his shot with trying to get Loeffler out of professional basketball by announcing he wants to organize an ownership group for the Atlanta Dream.

The Dream, because of being owned by Loeffler, were the loudest advocates for Warnock in the lead up to the 2020 election by wearing “Vote Warnock” shirts during their games in the WNBA Bubble in Bradenton, Florida.

Shortly after James tweeted, Renee Montgomery, who plays for the Dream, showed her support.

LeBron’s ‘More Than A Vote’ nonprofit partnered with Lyft during the early voting period for the runoff Georgia to help give voters free rides to the polls.

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More Than A Vote has been partnering with Lyft for Georgia runoff

LeBron’s ‘More Than A Vote’ is teaming with Lyft to help increase transportation and voter turnout during the early voting period.

December 31 is the final day for early voting in the state of Georgia for the Senate runoffs scheduled for January 5. And as they did in the first election, LeBron’s nonprofit ‘More Than A Vote’ is figuring out ways to positively impact voter turnout during the early voting period.

Since December 18, ‘More Than A Vote’ has partnered with the ride-sharing app Lyft to provide free rides to the polls for people looking to vote in the early voting period. Both Senate seats in Georgia are up for grabs in the election.

More Than A Vote is investing $50,000 into the local organizing efforts of Black Voters Matter Fund, a nonprofit based in East Point, GA dedicated to increasing power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities. More Than A Vote’s funds will supplement BVM’s canvassing program, mobilization text message campaign, and volunteer training throughout the early voting period in key counties throughout the state. BVM is a powerbuilding organization that is currently organizing millions of Black voters in Georgia.

More Than A Vote is also continuing its partnership with Lyft for the Georgia runoff election. More Than A Vote and Lyft are providing access to free rides (up to $15) to any early voting locations  in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Savannah, and Warner Robins through December 31.

Any person with a Lyft account in these cities can use the code MTAVGA* for up to $15 off a one-way Lyft ride to early voting locations during hours of operation. Visit more.vote/gameplan for early voting dates, times, and locations and to make a transportation plan to the polls.

The early voting period ends today.

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LeBron James named ‘Game Changer of the Year’ in People’s Choice Awards

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was named the ‘Game Changer of the Year’ by E’s People’s Choice Awards.

While the Los Angeles Lakers have already made moves to improve their team in the early days since the NBA lifted the trade moratorium, LeBron James himself has won yet another award that recognizes both his greatness as an athlete but also his influence in the political, social, educational and entertainment spheres.

On Tuesday, E! announced that LeBron James is the winner of the 2020 People’s Choice Awards ‘Game Changer Award.’ In addition to winning the NBA championship and founding a non-profit focused on making it easier for Black citizens to vote, James also saw the formation of The SpringHill Company, which included an investment of $100 million.

LeBron has been focused on being the best basketball player he can be while also trying to change the status quo on what’s expected of athletes. There should be no doubt that he is doing so, becoming a business mogul while still being at the top of his chose profession.

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LeBron James thanks Black people for voter turnout in GA, PA for Biden win

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has spent the better part of this year trying to mobilize the Black vote in American cities.

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Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has had plenty to celebrate over the last 30 days and this weekend’s news that Joe Biden  has won the United States Presidential election over Donald Trump, that celebration continued over the past few days, as the jubilation of a Lakers championship, a Dodgers World Series and the defeat of Trump, who had LeBron had crashed with before, has gotten LeBron’s posting juices flowing.

LeBron was active on social media once Pennsylvania and Georgia were called for Biden, including using a couple of photoshopped memes involving James, such as his iconic block on Andre Iguodala in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. But James also wanted to share a creative post from someone else on social media, using a scene from ‘Bad Boys 2,’ in which the characters played by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, go undercover at a KKK rally. James used it to make sure that Black people, in particular, were shouted out for the work they did to win the election for the Biden-Harris ticket.

 

 

Barack Obama to join LeBron James in new election-themed ‘The Shop’

Former President Barack Obama is set to join LeBron James and Maverick Carter in a new episode of ‘The Shop,’ centered on the election.

LeBron James and his ‘More Than A Vote’ voting rights coalition are putting things into high gear with a week to go before the general election in the United States. Early voting is already going on across the country and ‘More than A Vote’ has made increased efforts to combat disinformation online, as well as encouraging potential voters to make a plan for when they will vote. The final push now also includes an election-themed episode of ‘The Shop,’ where former president Barack Obama will join LeBron James and Maverick Carter on the eve of the Nov. 3 general election.

The new episode of ‘The Shop’ will premiere on Friday, October 30 on HBO Max. However, it will also be available to non-HBO subscribers on multiple HBO and HBO Max platforms, including YouTube, starting on October 31.

Obama and James have had a friendship for some time. Obama was also someone LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Player’s union leaders during the brief work stoppage inside the bubble led by the Milwaukee Bucks.

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‘More Than A Vote’ has helped recruit over 40k poll workers nationwide

The voting rights coalition started by LeBron James has helped recruit 40,000 poll workers nationwide for the general election.

Earlier this month, the voting rights coalition started by LeBron James, “More Than A Vote” has made a push for young people to volunteer as poll workers during this year’s election and they had already recruited 10,000. LeBron James recently spoke with Astead W. Herndon of the New York Times about his push to increase voter turnout in the Black community this year. In the feature on LeBron, there was an added detail that they have seen a massive increase in volunteer poll workers, up to 40,000.

‘More Than A Vote’ has increased its messaging efforts over the past week as early voting is occurring all across the country, heading into the Nov. 3 Election Day. LeBron wants everyone, especially the Black community to know how important their vote is.

“Because a lot of us just thought our vote doesn’t count: That’s what they’ve been taught, that’s how they’ve been educated, that how they’ve always felt. They’ve felt kind of institutionalized. But I want to give them the right information, I want them to know how important they can be.”

LeBron has also been pretty active on social media during the debates, including last night’s presidential debate.

 

 

 

Desus and Mero help ‘More Than A Vote’ combat misinformation in a new ad

The Bronx comedy duo narrated a new video from More Than A Vote and Win Black about how to combat misinformation when it comes your way.

Early voting is already taking place across the nation but with the election cycle heading into the home stretch before the Nov. 3 general election deadline, LeBron James’ nonprofit organization ‘More Than A Vote’ is kicking things into overdrive with their messaging, making sure everyone gets their vote out before Nov. 3. And one of the biggest things they are looking to combat in these final weeks head into the election is the issue of disinformation online.

Burner accounts, fake stories, and other things have inevitably become a part of elections in the social media age. So, More Than A Vote called in the Bronx comedy duo, Desus, and Mero aka The Bodega Boys, to narrate a new ad campaign geared towards helping combat misinformation and how to discuss it with those closest to you. The new More Than A Vote campaign was done in conjunction with Win Black, which is a movement created to counter digital misinformation.

In the coming weeks, Win Black will help More Than A Vote find what they believe are the most dangerous stories of misinformation online in an attempt to flag them before the election.

“We’re less than two weeks out from the end of this election cycle but decades into the fight against the suppression of the Black vote,” said Andre Banks and Ashley Bryant, co-founders of Win Black. “Harmful disinformation is being weaponized to block the voices and votes of Black Americans — but we have the power to stop it. Through this partnership, Under Review will urgently flood the zone with the facts we need to counter the targeted attacks coming from bad actors at home and abroad.”

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Desus and Mero help ‘More Than A Vote’ combat misinformation in a new ad

The Bronx comedy duo narrated a new video from More Than A Vote and Win Black about how to combat misinformation when it comes your way.

Early voting is already taking place across the nation but with the election cycle heading into the home stretch before the Nov. 3 general election deadline, LeBron James’ nonprofit organization ‘More Than A Vote’ is kicking things into overdrive with their messaging, making sure everyone gets their vote out before Nov. 3. And one of the biggest things they are looking to combat in these final weeks head into the election is the issue of disinformation online.

Burner accounts, fake stories, and other things have inevitably become a part of elections in the social media age. So, More Than A Vote called in the Bronx comedy duo, Desus, and Mero aka The Bodega Boys, to narrate a new ad campaign geared towards helping combat misinformation and how to discuss it with those closest to you. The new More Than A Vote campaign was done in conjunction with Win Black, which is a movement created to counter digital misinformation.

In the coming weeks, Win Black will help More Than A Vote find what they believe are the most dangerous stories of misinformation online in an attempt to flag them before the election.

“We’re less than two weeks out from the end of this election cycle but decades into the fight against the suppression of the Black vote,” said Andre Banks and Ashley Bryant, co-founders of Win Black. “Harmful disinformation is being weaponized to block the voices and votes of Black Americans — but we have the power to stop it. Through this partnership, Under Review will urgently flood the zone with the facts we need to counter the targeted attacks coming from bad actors at home and abroad.”

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