Yesterday, Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James and forty-six other Black celebrities and athletes signed an open letter that condemned voter suppression in the United States.
The letter was written under “More Than A Vote” campaign, a non-profit organization that James co-founded to get more Black people to the polls.
“We are focused on systemic, targeted voter suppression in our community and have a specific mission: educate, energize and protect Black voters,” the letter read. “We are driven by a shared understanding that our influence and prominence, particularly among young people, is a responsibility to continue the tradition of Black athletes working together to fight for justice and equality.”
‘More Than A Vote” was formed in the wake of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests that followed.
The letter emphasized the importance of Black voters and the systemic racism that has been limiting their vote for decades. The letter outlined three major threats to Black voters in the upcoming election: the COVID-19 pandemic, the abuse of political power that has made voting difficult and misinformation campaigns that are targeted at Black voters. The letter also detailed how More Than A Vote is working to convert stadiums and arenas that aren’t in use into voting stations, since they provide wide open spaces and will lessen the probability of coronavirus spread. The letter also claimed that voting wasn’t enough and that people needed to volunteer their time, money and information to influence change in their communities.
“We saw you in the streets. We saw your social media posts. Your voices are breaking through, but it’s now time to do more,” the letter read. “We know you have the ability to organize. So join us and take your protest to the election and fight to keep our community from being silenced.”
The open letter came after weeks of accusations against President Trump that he was suppressing votes by deliberately sabotaging the USPS. As the coronavirus continues to ravage the country, more people will likely choose to mail in their votes for fear of contracting the virus. However, mailboxes across the country have been removed or locked, which would contribute to a decrease in voting during the presidential election this November.
James explained that he and his fellow athletes felt the need to not only speak up, but also to actively fight voter suppression during the protests.
“All of us were angry, which we still are, and wanted to do something with real impact right now. We didn’t want to talk about it,” he said. “We organized around voter suppression in our community because it’s very real and if we want actual change, it’s going to start by educating, energizing and protecting Black voters in 2020.”
The letter was signed by Emmanuel Acho, Ray Allen, Jozy Altidore, Tim Anderson, Mo Bamba, Odell Beckham Jr., Eric Bledsoe, Toni Braxton, Bun B, Caron Butler, Carlton Davis, Skylar Diggins, Jeremy Ebobisse, Mike Evans, Allyson Felix, Draymond Green, Brittney Griner, Kevin Hart, Udonis Haslem, Andrew Hawkins, Jason Heyward, DeAndre Hopkins, LeBron James, Alvin Kamara, Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, Patrick Mahomes, CJ McCollum, Renee Montgomery, Justin Morrow, Arike Ogunbowale, Dare Ogunbowale, Chiney Ogwumike, Jeff Okudah, Kendrick Perkins, David Price, Jalen Rose, CC Sabathia, Ben Simmons, Sloane Stephens, Marcus Stroman, Maria Taylor, Kristi Toliver, Michael Vick, Bobby Wagner, A’ja Wilson, and Trae Young.
