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.
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...
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
November 3, 2024
Dear Friend,
As I reflect this Giving Tuesday, I’m filled with gratitude for the Dunk the Vote family we’ve built together—community members, partners, donors, and volunteers like you who make our work possible. Thanks to you, 2024 has been a year of connection, reflection, and progress.
This year, Dunk the Vote made significant strides. From producing our popular Know Your Government guide to energizing communities with events like Dance the Vote and our impactful voter engagement campaigns, your support ensured thousands of voters were enfranchised and informed.
Through collaboration with organizations like the Jack and Jill Foundation, we trained and mobilized young leaders to connect directly with voters. And our message reached even further through media features and documentaries, showcasing the critical role Dunk the Vote plays in shaping Boston’s future.
Your belief in our mission powers everything we do. This Giving Tuesday, you can make a meaningful impact. We hope you will consider a meaningful donation, one that will directly fund a stipend for a community worker, training materials for a rising leader, or food for a community gathering. Together, we can create lasting change.
Thank you for being part of this movement.
Yours Truly,
Yours Truly,
Ron Bell,
Dunk the Vote Founding Director
P.S. If you prefer to write a check, please make it 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.
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=SZKEJM4HVKSUQ
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
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...
Black Men Committee celebrates Black Males/Downtown Boston
Black Men Committee celebrates Black Males/Downtown Boston https://www.facebook.com/100003249082282/posts/4323340561117537/?d=n
When you pray, move your feet’: Black faith leaders, politicians get out the vote Sunday – The Boston Globe
FULL ARTICLE: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/10/24/metro/when-you-pray-move-your-feet-black-faith-leaders-politicians-get-out-vote-sunday/
Activists, MIT media specialists take up ‘disappointing’ Black candidates’ races
The many facets of the Sept. 14 preliminary election are still being debated in many corners of the city, but within the Black community – particularly among activists and Black former candidates – the sentiments of disappointment and frustration were made clear soon...
Thank you Tito Jackson for your leadership to uplift the issues Black boys and men face in the city of Boston
https://www.facebook.com/901905318/posts/10165559586250319/?d=n
Invitation to the Black Men and Boys Commission Signing Ceremony
Good morning everyone, On behalf of Councilor Mejia, we wanted to thank each and every one of you for your help in getting us to where we are today. Last Wednesday we unanimously passed An Ordinance to Establish a Commission on Black Men and Boys in the City...
MIT’s ‘Real Talk’ Campaign Gives Likely Voters a Voice in Boston’s Race for Mayor
The Boston Globe August 24, 2021 “Real Talk for Change,” a new civic engagement campaign launched by MIT researchers, aims to give voice to regular people across the City of Boston, especially those who feel ignored, reports Meghan E. Irons for The Boston Globe. “We...
Boston Black Men’s Committee Launches, Vows To Register Thousands Of New Voters
Acting Mayor Kim Janey speaks at the launch of the Boston Black Men's Committee, which plans to register 20,000 new Black voters before this fall's elections. The group says it will not endorse in the mayoral race. Adam Reilly / GBH News By Adam Reilly June 29, 2021...
Black Male Leaders Call for Revival of City Commission
Community leaders gathered Tuesday to spearhead a new effort to study the plight of Boston’s Black men and boys.
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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.