Freedom To Be

Freedom To Be –

The 2022 jersey numbers and accompanying limited-edition commemorative box packaging illustrates the importance of Juneteenth and history of BPC. Added this year is “Freedom To Be,” emphasizing everyone’s inherent freedom to be their true selves in every facet of life.

Featured inside the box is the powerful poem “Freedom,” one of the most seminal works by legendary African American poet, novelist, and social activist Langston Hughes. Written in 1949, a time when African Americans continued to face intense racism, disenfranchisement, and segregation, “Freedom” is unwavering in its call for freedom for African Americans.

Inside the box also includes a space for MLS players to write a proclamation of what they are “Free To Be” and detailed package insert.

Featured on the back of the box are “Key Moments In History” a condensed timeline of achievements by BPC.

Game-worn jerseys will be available for fans to bid via online auction from June 20th – July 5th 2022

Proceeds from the auction will benefit organizations supporting and uplifting Black communities in the markets of MLS clubs.

There are less than 48 hours left to place your bids! Don’t miss your opportunity to show your support!

FOR OVER 150 YEARS, Morehouse College has been producing extraordinary leaders, visionaries and pillars of the community. Since our humble beginnings in a church basement in 1867, we’ve established a legacy of excellence that continues to strengthen with each passing year. Famous graduates like Martin Luther King Jr. and Spike Lee are joined by five Rhodes scholars as well as congressmen, business titans, college presidents, and many more who proudly represent the Morehouse ideals. Explore our interactive timeline to discover the Morehouse story.

HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT.  CULTURALLY RELEVANT. PRESERVING OUR LEGACY.

Six Square is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that celebrates and preserves the great arts, culture and history of Central East Austin. Named for the six square miles of the former “negro” district, Six Square is a visionary leader and powerful partner for major projects that preserve, promote, and sustain black arts, history and culture. We are the only state designated black cultural district in Texas.

Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is a private historically black university in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The university awards Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Social Work, and Master of Social Work degrees.

We believe in providing opportunities for others to step outside their comfort zone and explore new communities, cultures, and cuisines in an effort to gain a greater understanding of the world.

We are Canada’s first-ever philanthropic foundation dedicated to investing in black communities. FFBC was created for, and driven by, black communities in Canada; it exists to ensure their flourishing and self-determination.

The RAVE Foundation, the official charitable arm of the Seattle Sounders, is a 501c-3 public charity which was founded in 2013 to serve the greater Puget Sound community. Its mission: To build small fields for free play and invest in programs that use soccer as a vehicle to inspire youth and strengthen communities.

Project Success Coalition has proudly served Utah since 1989, providing after-school and summer academic programs, cultural arts and awareness, health prevention education and advocacy and community and economic development. Growing out of a grassroots community coalition, we pride ourselves on being one of the voices for our community in articulating, advocating and addressing the needs of African Americans in Utah. Finding workable solutions and promoting community empowerment is at the heart of our work and we invite those interested in joining the effort to do so.

The Maurice Lucas Foundation was founded in honor of Maurice Lucas and his legacy of service to the Portland community.
The foundation stands as a continuance of Maurice’s dedication to empower Portland’s youth with opportunities for positive developmental growth through sport.

Juneteenth Cincinnati began presenting the Juneteenth Festival in 1988. It began in Cincinnati’s Drake Park and in the early years moved to Eden Park at the invitation of the Park Board. The Festival celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S. in 1865 at the end of the Civil War and the continuing struggle over the ensuing years to achieve the full fruits of freedom. Although the 1988 Festival was not Cincinnati’s first  celebration, it has been the only annual event.

Our mission is to support the independent artist community while amplifying marginalized voices. Our annual music event, the Juneteenth Music Festival in Denver, as a platform for educational and economic empowerment in youth and adults programs.
Creators behind Denver’s Annual Juneteenth Music Festival
are re-envisioning how communities connect beyond
neighborhood blocks.
JMF Corporation is 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to speaking up, creating equal opportunities for all, advancing youth sports and after-school programs, and ultimately bringing communities together.

City in the Community Foundation (CITC) was founded in 2004 to encourage disadvantaged, young US Americans to embrace active lifestyles, while at the same help integrate individuals from different socio-economic backgrounds.

​​My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) is a national initiative, started by President Barack Obama, that addresses persistent opportunity gaps faced by young men of color. MBK aims to ensure that all young people reach their full potential.

Founded in 2018, Design Football Club (Design FC) works with elementary and middle school students in Chester (PA) to encourage creative thinking, self-expression, and autobiographical storytelling through design.

Each student designs their own unique soccer jersey and apparel, in which they visually express what means most to them, their families, their community, their future aspirations, the changes they want to see in the world, and more.

The African American Community Service Agency (AACSA), founded in 1978, is one of the only African American cultural centers in the Silicon Valley. Our mission: providing quality educational, cultural, social and recreational programs, services and activities in order to perpetuate and strengthen African American identity, culture, values, traditions, knowledge and family life, is at the heart of all programs. AACSA’s membership is open to everyone, regardless of race, religion, age or disability. The Agency’s diverse activities and services offer a natural gateway to African American life.

We are guided by the principle of “Solidarity, NOT Charity.”

We, the community, keep us safe for our common survival and well-being and share a common responsibility.

For more than a decade, Serve Your City (SYC) has provided life-changing experiences and opportunities for at-risk DC students, giving Black and Brown children access to rowing, swimming, yoga, tennis, tutoring, and inspiring experiences often not readily available to children from under-resourced families.

Family Change in One Generation
​
We believe that family change can happen in a single generation. Our approach is to foster a fun, Christ-centered environment through strategic investment and collaboration, to help families grow educationally, economically, and spiritually.

Our goal is to provide grants to Black-owned businesses in Kansas City, with a specific interest in businesses that operate in low income areas.

We know this will create more jobs and convert an economically disadvantaged area into an area of economic opportunity.

We aim to assist in creating generational wealth, while also reducing instances of poverty related crime and violence in our communities.

Through BOSS™ (Business Of Student Success), We’re Equipping Boys, Especially Boys Of Color, With The Tools To Succeed In School, In The Community And Professionally, With An Emphasis On STEAM, Critical Thinking/Writing And Related Fields. We Also Leverage The Power Of Sport To Inspire Boys To Pursue Greatness

Project Blue aspires to create hope and opportunity for kids through after school programming that rebuilds trust between communities and law enforcement by holistically developing kids ages 6-18. Project Blue affiliate programs ruthlessly adhere to the consistent implementation of our five pillars including “Academics, Life Skills, Health & Wellness, Service, and Support & Safety.” while delivering measurable impact. Project Blue reaches multiple audiences and ultimately changes the narrative of law enforcement and resource-challenged kids and communities, and the relationship between them, thereby regenerating the original healthy spirit of the social contract. Come and play with us!

A community for BIPOC to reclaim space in the ocean through joyful, defiant anti-racist surf lessons, celebrations, education, and media.

The Mourning Family Foundation, is a nonprofit organization founded by Tracy and Alonzo Mourning that focuses on youth development through advocacy, education and enrichment. Since 1997, the Mourning Family Foundation has served thousands of children and their families by raising over $25 million to support various youth development programs, including the Overtown Youth Center and Honey Shine programs. By providing educational and extracurricular activities, MFF has helped to change the trajectory for hundreds of young people from South Florida’s disenfranchised communities.

The Wright Family established the S.M. Wright Foundation in 1998. Our mission is to provide support and stability to underprivileged children and less fortunate families through hunger relief, economic empowerment, and assistance in the areas of education, health and social services. We are unique among social services organizations because we carry out our mission on a daily basis in our community, providing hope, encouragement and assistance to families in need. With inflation increasing rapidly and the income inequality gap widening, many families continue to need assistance to make ends meet.

We are committed to building power through collective cultural & healing strategies for racial justice across Minnesota using organizing, leadership training, community policy & research.

For over 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been fighting for the health and well-being of young people. We intervene before it is too late, to help prevent the physical and mental repercussions of negative childhood experiences. We ensure that children from the age of six receive support from caring adults to overcome these challenges and help them achieve greater success in life – physically, mentally, socially, emotionally and academically.

My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) is a national initiative, started by President Barack Obama, that addresses persistent opportunity gaps faced by young men of color. MBK aims to ensure that all young people reach their full potential.

OUR HISTORY 8-year-old Daesean Hill was slain by a stray bullet as he walked home from his East New York school with his stepfather and younger siblings.

Hundreds went to Hill’s funeral. New York City was awash with tears and frustration. Out of that pain, East New York activist Andre T. Mitchell formed the community advocacy group Man Up! Inc

For more than 50 years, the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) has been at the forefront of engaging leaders, policymakers, professionals, and parents around critical and timely issues that directly impact Black children and their families. We are a trusted partner in developing and delivering strengths-based, culturally relevant, evidence-based, and trauma-informed resources that respond to the unique strengths and needs of Black children around issues including early childhood education, health and wellness, literacy, and family engagement.

Ethọ́s Lab is A Non-Profit Innovation Academy For Teens Based In Vancouver, BC and Accessible From Anywhere.