ATLANTA — Leading up to National Voter Registration Day, the Atlanta Hawks will
partner with the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) to register
players to vote and encourage them to spread the important message of voting to
their fans.
The voter-registration drive Monday, Sept. 24, at Hawks Media Day will be part
of the RISE to Vote campaign, a nonpartisan initiative launched by RISE to
register professional and college athletes to vote and encourage them to lead
their fans in becoming informed and engaged citizens. National Voter
Registration Day is Tuesday, Sept. 25. The RISE to Vote campaign also visited
the Hawks to register players on last year’s roster before the start of last
season and returned shortly thereafter for a RISE to Vote session with Hawks
executives, staff and coaches.
“Voting is one of the most concrete actions you can take to promote social
change,” said Jocelyn Benson, RISE CEO. “The work that’s required to unite
people and advance equality and progress in our country has a greater impact
when athletes are leading the charge. We’re empowering athletes to become
informed and engaged citizens and hope they can inspire their fans to do the
same.”
The RISE to Vote campaign began with teams from numerous professional leagues
and has expanded to college campuses and fan-focused events throughout the
country thanks to a grant from Democracy Fund Voice.
RISE has completed voter registration events with teams including MLB’s Arizona
Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota
Twins and Pittsburgh Pirates; the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and San Antonio Spurs; and
the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins and
New York Giants, as well as at Super Bowl LII. RISE also registered players to
vote at the NBA Rookie Transition Program earlier this summer.
At the collegiate level, RISE has completed voter-registration events with
athletic departments at Florida International University, Florida State
University, Miami Dade College, Oregon State University, Rutgers University,
University of Arizona, University of Colorado, University of Iowa, University of
Michigan, University of Notre Dame, and University of Texas at Austin, as well
as at the Big Ten Conference 2018 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
“I can think of nothing more fundamental and important to sustaining our
democracy than citizens exercising their right to vote,” said David Lee, Hawks’
Executive Vice President of External Affairs and Executive Director of the
Atlanta Hawks Foundation. “We’re delighted to once again join forces with RISE
to Vote and ensure players, coaches and staff are registered and ready to cast
their ballots in November.”
Founded in 2015 by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross, RISE is a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing the unifying power of sports to
improve race relations and drive social progress. Through educational
programming and public awareness campaigns, RISE aims to bring people together
to promote understanding, respect and equality.
For more information about RISE to Vote, visit www.RISEtoWIN.org/vote. Follow
the campaign on social media using #RISEtoVote.
Media Content: https://www.nba.com/hawks/news/hawks-partner-rise-vote
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