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Ultimate Frisbee Players Become Ultimate Volunteers, Lending a Hand to Repeal HB2
Post submitted by Maddie Majerus, TurnOUT! NC Field Organizer
Since launching just three months ago, TurnOUT! North Carolina (NC) has drawn a diverse range of volunteers from across North Carolina and beyond committed to the same cause: The full repeal of the discriminatory HB2. Upon learning that the USA Ultimate College Championship games were being held in North Carolina recently, many of the athletes were concerned, and some even considered boycotting the event. How could they in good conscious travel to and contribute to the economy of the home of discriminatory HB2?
They reached out to local organizations to see if there was anything they could do during their time in North Carolina to help the effort to repeal HB2 and connected with TurnOUT! NC. After discussing their options, the players decided that the best way they could contribute would be to have a door-to-door canvas where they asked people to sign postcards to their representatives demanding the full repeal of HB2.
After flying into North Carolina on a recent Thursday afternoon, players met up with TurnOUT! NC staff at a local park to get trained on canvassing. The athletes, some of whom came straight from the airport to the training, were energetic and eager to help do their part. It was inspiring to see these 30 athletes from so many ultimate teams dedicating the few free hours they had in between games to volunteer for TurnOUT! NC to help repeal HB2. There was a team photographer who decided to join the door to door canvas themselves, as they felt the cause was an important one and wanted to help the effort.
The next day, after playing in championship games all day long, Western Washington University’s Chaos ultimate team trooped into our office to help data enter supporter information. Even after a long day of playing ultimate frisbee, the energy the players brought into the office was contagious.
After knocking out all the data from the Triangle area, the players kept asking if there was more data, or another task they could complete that would help out the effort to repeal.
“Volunteering was not an option in my mind, it was a necessity,” Annie Paden, a student and player, said. “We realized that we were able to go home to Washington at the end of our four-day weekend, but the people of NC live HB2 day in and day out. It was an important step for us to not only realize this, but act on it.”
While many of these players were not North Carolinians, they felt the urgency to get this hateful bill repealed as quickly as possible and decided to spend their few free hours while they were in town helping the effort to repeal HB2. They joined the thousands of pro-equality North Carolinians that TurnOUT! NC is mobilizing to speak out for full repeal of HB2.
If you live in North Carolina and want to join the efforts to repeal HB2, RSVP for upcoming phone banks and volunteer opportunities. For more information about our work in North Carolina, contact HRC Associate Regional Field Director Ryan Rowe at [email protected].
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