The Big Ten has created a voter registration initiative to go along with its Anti-Hate and Anti-Racism Coalition, hoping its 14 schools and thousands of student-athletes can leverage their platform to spur social change.

The Big Ten’s Kevin Warren, the first black commissioner of a Power Five conference, said the announcement Monday of the voting initiative finalizes plans that have been in the works since February.

Warren says he hopes the nonpartisan program will encourage student-athletes to become part of the electoral process. It will include participants from each Big Ten school with monthly programming, beginning in July and ending with the general election in November.

Last week, Warren said he was motivated to launch the Anti-Hate and Anti-Racism Coalition by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd died after a police officer kneeled on his neck, sparking massive protests against racism and police brutality around the country and world.