Archive for category: Champions

Our future is in great hands with the young people that are leading powerful movements for positive change in key global issues. PLUS ONE has committed to help amplify our communities’ voices in the effort to mobilize the vote and reclaim our future though INTO ACTION.

INTO ACTION, presented by March for Our Lives and Sankofa.org, is a 3-day online festival of arts and ideas that brings together some of our nation’s most prolific and talented visual artists, athletes, activists, musicians, poets, policymakers and community leaders like Common, Usher, John Legend, Kendrick Sampson, Stacey Abrams, Phillip Agnew and more. The event will feature a series of presentations, panel discussions, performances and live artmaking designed to increase voter registration, engagement and turnout.

According to census research, for the first time in almost over 25 years, the turnout for young people’s (18- to 29-year-olds) rose from 20% to 36% during midterm elections. Currently, 47 million who are eligible to vote in the 2020 election, including 15 million new voters turning 18 since the last election. Suggesting that the youth vote will have a major impact on this upcoming election.

Ultimately, it is imperative that we support our youth who are leading efforts to face society’s biggest challenges such as climate change, mass incarceration, gun violence and rising student debt. They’re taking their futures into their own hands and it time we recognized their power and amplified their voices accordingly.

PLUS ONE has been proud to partner with the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) over the past few years with programs and events such as the Leadership & Sports Advocacy Workshops at Morehouse College and NFL Super Bowl Movie-Screening for the feature film Just Mercy.

RISE is a national nonprofit that educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations. Together, we inspire leaders in sports to create positive change on matters of race and equality and provide tools for them to become effective advocates for change.

As we continue to advance the conversation around social justice, PLUS ONE CEO & Executive Producer, Kristen Ingram and Milwaukee Bucks Guard, George Hill joined Champions of Change (The RISE Podcast), to discuss the power of sports – specifically when leveraged to advocate incarcerated communities.

It is an honor to contribute and collaborate with organizations, like RISE, who are leading the way to a more equitable future for all of us.

The only thing greater than sport is the spirit that rises from it.

 In partnership with Anti-Recidivism Coalition and REPRESENT JUSTICE, PLUS ONE society produced Play For Justice, a series of basketball games and intimate roundtable discussions that highlight stories of hope, redemption and the power of sports and community inside prison facilities across the United States. The games and discussions include currently incarcerated men and women, REPRESENT JUSTICE Surrogates, and current and former NBA and WNBA players. In select prison facilities, family members are able to attend and watch the game in addition to celebrity guests, elected officials, media and other residents of the prison facility. Thus far, we’ve facilitated games with the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers, among other teams.

Play for Justice is a partnership between NBA teams and Represent Justice, a nonprofit which uses narrative change to create public demand for a more fair legal system and dignity for those impacted by it and is produced by PLUS ONE society. It brings together players, policy influencers and community organizations to uplift narratives of hope and redemption and break down stigmas associated with individuals — disproportionately people of color and the poor — who are impacted by the justice system.

In the last year, we worked closely with the NBA to produce programs with the Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Cleveland Cavaliers, with more scheduled and postponed due to Covid-19. At these events, players, coaches and staff participated in frank roundtable discussions and basketball games with currently incarcerated individuals. Play for Justice creates unforgettable moments that allow the valuable perspective of currently incarcerated individuals to be seen and heard by teams of professional athletes.

In addition to bringing policy influencers and cultural influencers closer to issues of justice, Play for Justice is a day where the prison walls melted away. The immersive production includes personalized jerseys, sneakers, snacks, dance crews, half-time shows, DJs, in-game activities, families and more. Through this partnership with NBA teams, we highlight the stories of system-impacted men and women that are in line with Represent Justice values (e.g. redemption, mercy and second chances.). This in-prison programming creates an environment for community partners, politicians and cultural influencers to connect and engage directly with the people affected by the system, who have the greatest potential to change hearts, minds and ultimately, policy.

We also create an opportunity to capture and share this experience for the public in a way that humanizes incarcerated people through in-depth interviews, roundtable discussions and the game. The Play for Justice campaign looks to shine a light on the issues with our criminal justice system, including mass incarceration and wrongful sentencing. In addition, the campaign hopes to change policies and shift the narrative around incarceration in the United States.  

“ Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller