A group of activists used promotional products typically used for team spirit to protest when they showed up to the Congressional Baseball Game on Thursday with T-shirts, can coolers and foam fingers. The items weren’t to cheer on the players, mind you. They were to remind the players (members of Congress) about legislation protecting “Dreamers”—undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children—and paving the way for them to obtain full citizenship.
The group, the LIBRE Initiative, is a nonprofit that works to empower the U.S. Hispanic community, and is backed by Charles and David Koch, according to The Hill.
Fifty volunteers from the organization went to Nationals Park in D.C., 25 per “side,” armed with 1,000 can coolers and 1,000 foam fingers that read “Batter up, Congress! Dreamers are waiting,” and T-shirts that read “90% of Americans want Dreamers safe at home. #whatarewewaitingfor.”
Our relentless push for a permanent solution for #Dreamers is fueled by their tremendous courage and drive. Batter up, Congress—our #Dreamers are waiting. #CongressionalBaseballGame https://t.co/C3h9ecyQmd pic.twitter.com/HtyOtcM46f
— The LIBRE Initiative (@LIBREinitiative) June 21, 2018
That same day, the House killed a GOP immigration bill and Republican legislators delayed the planned vote on a compromise measure.
Were the promotional products the catalyst for that result on Capitol Hill? Probably not. But, it shows the value of promotional products for a wide range of applications and how visibility can mean much more than promoting just a business.
