When you meet Ray June you instantly feel like you’ve connected with family. He has an energetic and open-arms type of spirit and it’s evident from the moment you say hello to him.
One thing you also notice immediately is his passion for the youth. Around spring 2019, June founded Swat Meet. A performing arts organization that encourages the youth involved to use their gifting as Special Weapons And Tactics to advocate change in their communities. This past weekend, Ray and his team put on an outreach event in the form of a three on three basketball tournament. It was a great turnout for it being such a new organization which is a testament to how hard and diligent the Swat Meet crew work to promote and maintain a high class organization. Not only that, seeing so many parents and other adults participating in this event was beautiful to see.
Having worked with Ray previously and seeing how he cares for his kids, I knew that his organization would be nothing but high class as well as entertaining and professional. Hosting an event that helped keep our youth off the streets and in a safe environment was incredible. Many of us who grew up in inner city communities know that opportunities such as this are few and far between. As a black man who spent a good part of his formative years in the OKC community, it was refreshing and inspiring to see so many young people in one place with one goal: To ball out. And that they did. From the young generation to those of us now seen as “oldheads” on the court, the teams and play were entertaining, the vibe was fun and the nachos his mom made were fuego. I’m encouraging all to get involved and donate to this incredible organization. This is only the beginning for Swat Meet and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
You can follow Ray at @rayjuneonline on Instagram and Swat Meet at @swatmeet.inc. Also, make sure you check out Ray’s debut album, Pure on all streaming services. It’s a definite 10/10 on the Suave Scale.