Minority Leaders Meet with MYMM to Discuss Potential Christmas Boycott Of NASCAR Sponsors

ATLANTA, Sept. 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Minority leaders have initiated discussions with the Minority Youth Matters Movement (MYMM) to consider launching targeted boycotts of NASCAR sponsors' products and services during the upcoming Christmas season.

The NASCAR website lists more than 50 official sponsors that include well known brands such as:

MYMM's announcement follows a weekend of protests that were launched in more than 20 cities around the nation to challenge NASCAR's lack of diversity and inclusion of all minorities within the NASCAR brand infrastructure.

"The purpose of the boycott is to bring awareness to the public regarding NASCAR corporate sponsors' 'benign neglect' of their contribution to the problem," says MYMM CEO, Terrance Cox, III. NASCAR racing teams' primary source of funding comes from corporate sponsors. However, Cox believes NASCAR and even its NASCAR Foundation do little to support diversity initiatives, in spite of the fact that minorities generate 50% of these corporations' revenues. They feel this is unfair and leaves much room for NASCAR and its sponsors to better engage minorities and minority youth in the sport, as well as improve their support of initiatives that give back to the communities that help supply "the fuel that runs the sport's engine."

MYMM cites a partial list of corporations that give donations to the NASCAR Foundation:

Radio Shack
Wells Fargo Bank
Harley Davidson
Fox Broadcasting
Fox Sports
ESPN
Samsung
Google
Fifth Third Bank
Olive Garden

The objective of the boycott would be to take a deeper look into the Foundation and sponsors' donations to see how they are being used to support minority programs that are relevant to motor sports.

Cox and other minority leaders ask the question, "How can corporations justify spreading a few million dollars across 'all' minority interests, yet give non-minority racing teams twenty to forty million dollars of our minority dollars to race?" MYMM feels corporations are turning a blind eye to the blatant disparities that exist.

Ultimately, MYMM believes NASCAR should reflect America's diverse tapestry, and its leaders are growing increasingly disenchanted about NASCAR's diversity programs that are not effectively engaging the minority community, even though they read well on paper.

This picture was taken over the weekend showing MYMM youth standing in front of the Chicago Speedway, juxtaposed against two confederate flags blowing in the background atop their flagpoles. In light of NASCAR's most recent PR campaign which announced the removal of the symbol from their properties, one can understand the group's skepticism about the sincerity of NASCAR's stand on diversity issues.

In addition to these proposed boycotts, MYMM has announced its plan to hold future protests throughout the remainder of the year, which demonstrates the group's determination to make a difference in the sport of motor racing.

About Minority Youth Matters Movement (MYMM)
MYMM is a grass roots movement of multiracial youth, community leaders and faith based organizations who promote the mobilization of community initiatives that are designed to increase minority youth's access and participation in automotive sports, STEM, and Technical/Trade Education for the alleviation of poverty and economic self-sufficiency.
For additional information on MYMM, visit us at:

www.minorityyouthmattersmovement.org
www.facebook.com/minorityyouthmattersmovement
https://twitter.com/minorityyouth

MINORITY YOUTH MATTERS MOVEMENT
HEADQUARTERS
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
704-449-4479

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150924/270356

SOURCE Minority Youth Matters Movement