More Than a Vote: LeBron James and Maverick Carter unveil voting rights group

Amid the ongoing protests against racial injustice in the USA, LeBron James and his business partner Maverick Carter have teamed up to form a voting rights group – More Than a Vote. As per the New York Times, the political organisation will focus on increasing voter turnout for the upcoming elections in America. During an interview, Carter stated that their organisation will ask what are black people asking of the politicians and what do they want to change. 

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LeBron James and Maverick Carter team up for More Than a Vote

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LeBron James More Than a Vote to help protect African American voting rights

LeBron James announced More Than a Vote via his Instagram account, where he welcomed the members working with the organisation by quoting his mother – 'Don’t talk about it, be about it'. Following James' interview with The Times, Maverick Carter also spoke about the group while talking to the publication. Carter stated that for these protests to really cause a change, the black community needs 'to come up with real asks'. As per Carter, they need political change along with social reform. However, he added that it is more than voting as people need to ask specific questions and need to have the support of corporate America. He further added that the cycle of black people being overpoliced and receiving inadequate education needs to be broken for real change to take place.

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He further explained that he and LeBron James started their organization now because they want 'people of color out to vote, because their vote matters'. As per Carter, their organisation wants to 'hold these politicians’ feet to the fire to make real change'. When asked about the goal of the organisation, Carter stated that they want to combat 'voter suppression and turning people out to vote' while making sure athletes speak authentically. 

LeBron James on More Than a Vote

During his interview with NYT, James revealed that with the current situation in the country, he feels people are actually listening to the community and they are 'finally getting a foot in the door'. As per the three-time NBA champion, he wants everyone to vote during the elections, for which they will provide everyone with tutorials. James stated that they would also help people understand how to vote, and why the 'other side' might prevent them from doing so. The Los Angeles Lakers star also stated that it's the time for them to 'finally make a difference'. Trae Young, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Jalen Rose, Udonis Haslem, NFL running back Alvin Kamara and Kevin Hart are others who will team up with James and Carter for their initiative. James will also use his 'high-profile platform on social media to work against voters who are suppressed' while trying to stop attempts to restrict racial minorities.

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LeBron James and Maverick Carter grew up together in Akron, Ohio where they played basketball and football together. Carter worked at Nike after college and started working with James in 2006. Both Carter and James have worked on multiple projects together including films and shows on HBO, ESPN, Showtime, CBS, NBC, Netflix and more. Currently, Carter is the chief executive of production company SpringHill Entertainment and a director at Live Nation. James, who started his NBA career with Cleveland Cavaliers, is now playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. He has been vocal about the protests and George Floyd's murder due to police brutality, constantly posting about the issue on his social media accounts. 

(Image source: @kingjames official Instagram, @mavcarter official Instagram)