In the summer of 1905, W.E.B. Du Bois and a coalition of some of America’s leading civil rights activists gathered to form the Niagara Movement, an organization seeking to dismantle systems of racial oppression and disenfranchisement. Now, 115 years later, as the fight for progress continues, two brave new faces have emerged at the vanguard: Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal and Tampa Bay Buccaneer Rob Gronkowski are ready to heal a fractured nation.
On June 27, the pair of sports icons will host “Shaq’s Fun House vs. Gronk Beach,” a virtual fundraiser that will be live-streamed across YouTube, Twitch, Tik Tok, Facebook and Twitter, as well as on a dedicated website. Raising money for the NAACP Empowerment Programs and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the event will last three hours and feature musical performances by Snoop Dogg, DaBaby, Steve Aoki, Diplo and Carnage. Beyond the performances, Shaq and Gronk will lock horns in a series of competitions such as HORSE, jousting, a chicken-wing eating contest and a lip-sync battle. This is philanthropy-via-MadLibs, a deliriously weird collage of 2020isms that benefit a good cause.
“We wanted to do it now with a purpose, and this is a purpose to raise money for great causes, and to raise money for everything that’s going on out there,” Gronkowski told ESPN. “So, music, sports, competitions — we just knew that it was a win-win. And on top of it, whenever Shaq and I have the chance to come together and bring other people together — ’cause that’s what we love to do, is bring everyone together, unite everyone together — we just knew it was a no-brainer to do.”
Adding to the charitable aspect, DoorDash has partnered with Feeding America and plans to donate up to 1.25 million meals — approximately one meal for every viewer who live-streams the event.
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