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.
Vote
Engage
Participate & Motivate
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.
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
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
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...
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
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.
Confronting COVID-19 – Harvard School of Public Health
As we approach the second year since the COVID-19 virus was first identified in the U.S., several states have recently rolled back precautions, including mask mandates and capacity limits. As CDC Director and Harvard Chan alumna Dr. Rochelle Walensky recently wrote, “I do think that the next month or two is really pivotal in terms of how this pandemic goes. As we scale up vaccination, we really do need to decrease the amount of virus that is circulating.”
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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.