NBA star LeBron James is now focusing his increasingly political activism on allowing felons in Florida regain voting rights.
James, a Los Angeles Laker formerly with the Miami Heat, dumped $100,000 into the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition on Friday through his “More Than A Vote” organization, which is comprised of black athletes and artists working to combat “systemic, racist voter suppression,” and promoted the cause via his large social media platform.
“This is a fight about their constitutional right to vote being denied,” James tweeted out, linking to the coalition.
This is a fight about their constitutional right to vote being denied. Learn more about how you can help at https://t.co/ASKCSX9b9l. @morethanavote https://t.co/LtGBRwo8LQ
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 24, 2020
The FRRC site says it’s “committed to ending the disenfranchisement and discrimination against people with convictions.”
“The money is expected to help felons pay court-ordered financial obligations that keep them from completing all the terms of their sentences after they are released from prison,” the Tampa Bay Times reported. “More than 65 percent of Florida voters in 2018 approved a constitutional amendment to restore the voting rights of felons who have completed their sentences.”
As noted by The Daily Wire, James has turned his left-wing activism into overdrive this year, “garnering $100 million in seed money for his new media empire ‘designed to move the culture’ and increasingly weighing in on the national socio-political scene, with the NBA following his lead in its newly announced social justice initiatives.”
The “More Than A Vote” initiative is seeking to utilize sports arenas as in-person balloting venues to bolster black turnout during the 2020 election.
Last week, James claimed there is no “movement” for black Americans in the U.S. “When you’re black, it’s not a movement. It’s a lifestyle,” he said, later adding, “I don’t like the word ‘movement’ because, unfortunately, in America and in society, there ain’t been no damn movement for us.”
“It’s just heartbreaking,” James said, according to ESPN. “You guys don’t understand. Unless you’re a person of color, you guys don’t understand. I understand you might feel for us. But you will never truly understand what it is to be black in America.”
“A lot of people kind of use this analogy, talking about Black Lives Matter as a movement. It’s not a movement,” the NBA player continued. “When you’re black, it’s not a movement. It’s a lifestyle. We sit here and say it’s a movement, and, OK, how long is this movement going to last? ‘Don’t stop the movement.’ No, this is a walk of life. When you wake up and you’re Black, that is what it is. It shouldn’t be a movement. It should be a lifestyle. This is who we are. … I don’t like the word ‘movement’ because, unfortunately, in America and in society, there ain’t been no damn movement for us. There ain’t been no movement.”
According to Forbes, James’ net-worth is estimated at $450 million.