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LeBron James' More Than A Vote To Introduce Newest Initiative

James said he believes Black people have been fed misinformation on voting for many yearsNBAE/GETTY IMAGES

LeBron James' More Than A Vote today "will introduce its final political push before Election Day, a rapid response and advertisement operation meant to combat the spread of misinformation among younger Black voters," according to Astead Herndon of the N.Y. TIMES. The initiative will "seek to educate younger Black voters on how to spot false political statements spreading on social media." The effort called "Under Review" will be "featured on Snapchat through Election Day, and will include videos from celebrities and activists like Desus and Mero, Jemele Hill and the athletes involved in More Than a Vote." Below are excerpts from a Q&A with James, some of which have been edited for clarity and brevity:

Q: Why was combating misinformation targeted at Black voters something you all wanted to get involved with?
James: We believe that Black people, our community, we've been pushed away from our civic duty. We've been fed misinformation for many years.

Q: Since each of More Than a Vote's issues has been targeted at Black communities, why is that racial lens important to your political involvement?
James: I understand my Black people and what we go through on a day-to-day basis. I understand that we've not been given a lot of information along the course of time, and I understand how important our vote is.

Q: Despite campaigning for Hillary Clinton in Ohio for the last election, you've focused more on issues rather than an individual candidate. Can you explain the thinking behind that shift?
James: We've had so many things going on, and voter suppression in our communities happens to be at the forefront. So that's something we wanted to educate our people on (N.Y. TIMES, 10/21).

BEING RESOURCEFUL: In Boston, Bob Hohler writes like never before in the history of sports, a "well-funded movement -- galvanized by professional athletes, teams, and leagues -- to engage citizens at every level of electoral politics is surging." The campaign "dovetails with a social justice movement that has unified much of the sports industry." Voter turnout "ranks among the top priorities of Boston Celtics United for Social Justice." To date, the Celtics have "registered more than 1,000 new voters, helped to distribute more than 20,000 bilingual door-hangers urging Boston residents to cast ballots, and recruited 36 staff members to serve as poll workers." Meanwhile, the NBA has pledged $300M "toward economic growth in the Black community." The NFL is dedicating $250M "to combat systemic racism." The Kraft family is giving $1M over 10 months "to local organizations for the cause." Several MLB teams are "joining the Red Sox in turning their ballparks into polling stations." For those who believe in the power of the ballot, the collaboration is "no small breakthrough" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/21).

ATLANTA'S LEAD: The Hawks were one of the first teams to open their arena as a voting location; team CEO Steve Koonin said other NBA teams “did reach out to us” about voting efforts at State Farm Arena, and “we shared our schematic and our plans immediately.” Koonin said the organization understands Atlanta is a “cradle of the civil rights” movement, and “we want that to be part of who the Hawks are.” Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said of the Coaches for Racial Justice effort, “We knew this was going to be a matter that was going to hit home for all of our players” (“Gametime,” NBA TV, 10/20).

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