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 for Residents

Citizens 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.

Hear Ron on WBUR Radio Boston !

“Local organizers strive to galvanize Black voters ahead of a pivotal election year”

Show aired on February 14, 2024

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A Letter from Our Founder, Ron Bell

December 29th, 2023

Dear Friends,

The past few weeks have been painful for many in Boston’s Black community. 

Thirty-four years ago, we were thrown into upheaval during the hysteria following the murder of Carol Stuart in Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood, and the false accusation that it had been committed by a Black man. 

With the release over the past month of the Boston Globe investigation into those events, and the associated “Murder in Boston” podcast series and HBO documentary, those who went through the strip searches, the police home invasions, the racial profiling, and the constant harassment, have been forced to relive those traumatic days. I was there, running the Mission Hill Community Centers, and saw it all – experienced it all – first-hand. You may have seen me share my thoughts in the HBO documentary. It was not an easy story to tell. But it was important to do it.

Thirty-four years ago, in response to this unacceptable state of affairs, we laid the foundation of three decades of voter registration and civic engagement, when we began knocking on doors and talking to people on the street about their experience, culminating in the first Dunk the Vote tournament and voter registration drive in 1992. Since then, we have registered over 100,000 voters in Massachusetts, led countless events and marches, and partnered with institutions of all types and sizes to bring lasting change in the wake of one of the city’s darkest moments.

Please join our team as we continue to build on this foundation, and drive Dunk the Vote into an election year where civic engagement is more important than ever. We only succeed with your help!

Donate Now – click the link below.

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=SZKEJM4HVKSUQ

The release of this media retrospective comes at a moment, and serves as a timely reminder that the need for action is greater than ever. As we head into the election year of 2024, our nation remains divided, in a simmering political climate that threatens to boil over at any moment, just as things did in Boston in 1989.

The good news is that engagement and organization can move the needle. On December 20th, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu held a press conference to formally apologize on behalf of the city to Willie Bennett and Alan Swanson, two Black men framed for Carol Stuart’s murder. Progress has been made.

But any small victory is just a sign that the work must continue. Our nation is at a pivotal moment, and now is the time for us to go to work, registering voters, getting people to the polls, and waking people up to the importance of this moment.

We are seeking your support to launch our 2024 voter registration and outreach campaign, which includes expanding our city-wide Know Your Government guide to include a step-by-step Get Out the Vote handbook, among other initiatives.

We can’t do it without you. Will you help us make a difference in 2024?  

We sincerely appreciate your consideration of our request.

Please make your check out 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

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=SZKEJM4HVKSUQ

Social Media

An Innovative, Aggressive Social Media Campaign directed toward communities with significant numbers of Black and Latinx people

Partnerships

Develop and implement partnerships to promote potential high turnout social media events such as Watch Parties with key groups, leaders in the various ballot question movements and other groups

Education

Include a major focus on ballot questions and electoral reform, particularly Vote Yes on 2 to promote and educate communities about ranked choice voting

“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

Embrace Unveiling at the Boston Common during MLK Weekend 2023

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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.

Our Team

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Address

Boston, MA

Phone

(857) 417-5058

Email

dunkthevote2020@gmail.com