Dunk
the Vote
Dunk The Vote
Dunk The Vote 4 Ever (DTV) Civic Engagement Leadership Lab (CELL) is a non-partisan initiative, focused on increasing participation and turnout considering voting as a public health emergency, using social media to strengthen ground game.
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Guides to Local Government
Residents must be engaged to address issues that affect them – many are literally life or death, such as the extreme wealth gap, violence, gentrification and displacement, declining rates of home ownership in the Black community, and many others.
Click below for our Guides to Local Government publications.
MURDER IN BOSTON WINS EMMY AWARD!
The Stuart Tragedy in Mission Hill
Among the night’s winners was the three-part docuseries “Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, Reckoning,” which took home the award for outstanding crime and justice documentary, in a category that also included “Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn”; “El Equipo”; “Chowchilla”; and “Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert.”
Murder in Boston review: Exploring the legacy of a racist rush to judgment
HBO’s true-crime docuseries chronicles the case of Charles Stuart, who killed his wife and blamed it on a Black man.
By Kristen Baldwin
Published on November 27, 2023 11:27AM EST
September 24th, 2024
Dear Friends,
Less than a month from today, on Saturday, October 19th, early voting opens for the 2024 Presidential Election.
On Saturday, October 19th, we launch our 2024 Get Out The Vote Campaign. Needless to say, it is one of the most important days of the year for Dunk the Vote and our mission.
Our teams of young people, returning citizens, and campaign veterans will be on the ground and on the phone, helping people get their ballots in.
We have to train our canvassers on actually getting people to the polls, including helping voters find their polling locations and often physically escorting those who need help to get to where they need to go.
For this to be effective, we have to compensate our people fairly. Your donation of:
- $30 supports our team by providing outreach materials.
- $300 puts boots on the ground by paying for worker stipends.
- $3,000 will make a major impact as we enter the last month before the Presidential Election in November.
Can you make a contribution right now?
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=SZKEJM4HVKSUQ
Right now, we are in the middle of our final voter registration push, door-knocking, phone-banking, doing intake, and helping get people registered so they can and will vote in this extraordinarily important election.
It truly is crunch-time now. The final day to register to vote in the November 5th Presidential Election is Saturday, October 26th.
We have been very busy over the past weeks and months, training organizations, helping people get the most out of their elected officials, and raising the call about how important it is, especially right now, to be an active participant in democracy.
Just recently, we shared our story and our message with The Bay State Banner’s audience of over 200,000 people in a story which you can read here: https://tinyurl.com/bannerdtv. Soon after, we were featured on WCVB Channel 5’s weekly Sunday TV program, CityLine, which you can watch here: https://tinyurl.com/citylinedtv.
After all of the effort leading up to today, can you make a contribution and make sure we cross the finish line with a strong voter turnout campaign?
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=SZKEJM4HVKSUQ
We sincerely appreciate your consideration of our request.
If you prefer to write a check, please make payable to our fiscal sponsor, Circle of Nations, and send it to Ron Bell/Dunk the Vote, PO Box 990525, 800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02199. And, as ever, thanks for your support! We also accept donations by PayPal and credit card by clicking on the link or scanning the QR code below.
Yours Truly,
Ron Bell,
Dunk the Vote Founding Director
Social Media
Partnerships
Education
“Ron Bell and Dunk the Vote, Inc. are at the forefront of a dynamic civic movement… Ron Bell is a vsionary leader who continually takes initiative to create new vehicles to enhance the development of young people… He is building a civic engagement and voter program that could be a model for the nation.”
Hubie E. Jones
Dean Emeritus, Boston University School of Social Work
“As a young African American man, I did not understand that opting out of the system meant opting out of the the power to change the system”
DTV Leadership Intitute Gradutate
Zachary Roscoe
“I choose to give my flowers today to honor a man who never seeks to be seen or heard but is one powerful shaker and baker in our community Mr. Ron Bell!! I have known Ron for many years. I first met him in the capacity of being his employee at the Tobin Community Center in Mission Hill. He gave opportunities for growth to so many many youth through his position there and helped to change the course of so many individuals and families. If that was not enough he never said no to opportunities for his employees to reach out to families in Mission Hill and surrounding areas. Always encouraging, always supportive and most of all always leading by example. He taught us how important the power of voting is and began to reach out to others in the community, the city and the state through his Dunk the Vote Initiative. I could never figure out how he found the time and energy to make a difference e in so many areas. And still today he has not slowed down one bit. Minister, radio and t.v. personality, voter registration and education and helping folks any chance he gets. The most impressive thing to me is that Ron never rings his own bell. He just shows up and gets it done. He is an amazing human being and a more amazing friend!”
Denise Williams
Voting initiatives focus on Black voters: ‘We know more than anyone that voting has consequences’
Boston Globe article Dunk the Vote 2020
Dunk the Vote 2020 Awards
Sunday, September 27
Democracy in Action – Feline Style!
Grant Geek Diva Dawn Duncan This lovely kitty is named Lenox. He is the winner of the cat costume contest at a cat show that was held on Sunday, August 25, 2024 in Natick, MA. My friend and colleague, Ron Bell, of Boston Black News, was asked for the second year in a...
Data is Data, Even if You Don’t Want it To Be
Grant Geek Diva Dawn Duncan This post is a continuation, in some ways, of my previous posts about governance and politics being different things (https://grantgeekdiva.wordpress.com/2024/07/12/politics-and-governance-are-not-the-same-thing/). Data, in this context,...
Politics and Governance are NOT the Same Thing
Grant Geek Diva Dawn Duncan This post expands upon a post I created a few weeks ago that provided a basic introduction to the structure of the government in the United States based on the three branches of government. In that post, I also talked briefly about how...
Understanding Government Structure: A Basic Introduction
Grant Geek Diva Dawn Duncan So, I’ve been reading some books lately that have gotten my mind going about how critical people are of government and how there are so many things we take for granted that government does. It made me start feeling prompted to write some...
MURDER IN BOSTON WINS EMMY AWARD!
The Stuart Tragedy in Mission Hill Among the night's winners was the three-part docuseries “Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, Reckoning,” which took home the award for outstanding crime and justice documentary, in a category that also included “Wanted: The Escape of...
A Walk Down the Block: Tracing the history of busing through Boston’s streets | GBH
By Paris Alston WGBH Updated September 24, 2024 Let’s take a walk down the block. Today, we’re starting on Beacon Hill, where tales of Paul Revere and other famous Americans abound. But we’re exploring a history that’s more hidden. This is a walking tour of the...
Boston’s busing crisis, 50 years later: Reflecting on segregation in the city
Fifty years ago, school buses started shuttling students across Boston as part of court-ordered desegregation efforts that quickly started.
CityLine: An organization responsible for registering over 100,000 voters
Dunk the Vote has been increasing civic engagement in Boston and beyond for over 30 years Karen Holmes Ward CityLine Host NEEDHAM, Mass. — Dunk the Vote has registered more than 100 thousand voters since 1992. Ron Bell, founder of this nonpartisan civic engagement...
Baystate Banner News: With election season approaching, Dunk the Vote pushes for increased voter registration
The Bay State Banner By Avery BleichfeldAugust 15, 2024 Ron Bell may not be a pastor, but ahead of the service at the Greater Love Tabernacle Church Aug. 11, he delivered his own sermon to the congregation with a call to action: Register to vote. It’s a message he’s...
Mental health, wealth gap rises among top issues impacting Black men at inaugural community listening session
Members of Boston's Black Men and Boys Commission listen to a speaker during the group's first community listening session on July 6. By Saraya Wintersmith and Esteban BustillosJuly 7, 2022 A few dozen people gathered in a conference room of the Bruce C. Bolling...
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Mission
Voting is a public health emergency. COVID has both made it more difficult and more important than ever to vote. The proposed intensive, aggressive strategy is based on the Civic Engagement Leadership Lab (Cell) model that utilizes grassroots organizing concepts and leadership development combined with well-established voter engagement strategy.
It is important to understand the long history of racism and voter suppression that continues to plague Black and Latinx communities in Massachusetts, which contributes to low voter turnout. Add COVID, as people of color are three times more likely to die from COVID, and we truly have a public health emergency.
The need we are addressing is one of ensuring that people are able to exercise their vote safely, in local, state, and national elections by promoting voter participation and protecting the public health of communities.
