Basketball legend Michael Jordan has pledged to donate $100 million to organizations that fight for racial equality. This comes after the recent demonstrations by the Black Lives Matter movement that were sparked by the deaths of people like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.
On Friday (June 5), Jordan's company took to Instagram to reveal that the Jordan Brand, a shoe-and-apparel division of Nike, will be donating funds from over the next 10 years with the aim of "ensuring racial equality, social justice and greater access to education".
In a statement, Jordan and his company said: "The Jordan Brand is us, the Black Community. The Jordan Brand is more than one man. It has always been a family.
"We represent a proud family that has overcome obstacles, fought against discrimination in communities worldwide and that works every day to erase the stain of racism and the damage of injustice.
"The will, the work, the excellence the world has come to know is the result of one generation after another, pouring their dreams into the next."The statement continues: "It's 2020, and our family now includes anyone who aspires to our way of life. Yet as much as things have changed, the worst remains the same.
"Black lives matter. This isn't a controversial statement. Until the ingrained racism that allows our country's institutions to fail is completely eradicated, we will remain committed to protecting and improving the lives of Black people.
"Today, we are announcing that Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand will be donating $100 million over the next 10 years to organizations dedicated to ensuring racial equality, social justice and greater access to education."
Yesterday, Kanye West announced that he has launched a fund to pay for the college tuition of the daughter of the late George Floyd, TMZ has revealed.
The 529 college savings fund will fully cover the college education of six-year-old Gianna Floyd.
In addition, the rapper also revealed yesterday, via a representative, that he has donated $2 million so far to charities associated with Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and others, in an effort to help support their families and legal teams.
But that's not all, he has vowed to donate to black-owned businesses in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
This comes as West's wife, Kim Kardashian, announced that she would be donating to Black Lives Matter, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, National Urban League, and Color Of Change.
Earlier this week, during a press conference in Minneapolis, Gianna’s mother Roxie Washington said she wanted "justice" for George Floyd.
In her first public comments since his death, an emotional Washington said: "At the end of the day, they get to go home and be with their families. Gianna does not have a father
"He will never see her grow up, graduate. He will never walk her down the aisle.
"If there's a problem she is having and she needs her dad, she doesn't have that anymore."
Washington was joined by former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who reportedly became friends with George Floyd after meeting him in Texas, and described him as his "twin" because they looked so alike.
Jackson responded to Washington's powerful words, saying: "There's a lot of stuff you said that he's gonna miss - that I'm gonna be there for. I'm gonna walk her down the aisle.
"I'm gonna be there for her. I'm gonna be here to wipe your tears. I'm gonna be here for you and Gigi.
"Floyd might not be here, but I'm here for her, I'm here to get justice, and we're gonna get justice for my brother."
Later in the day, George Floyd's six-year-old daughter, Gianna, was filmed sitting on Jackson's shoulders, looking around, and saying: "My daddy changed the world."
Watch the heartwarming moment below:George Floyd's death sparked mass demonstrations across the US and other major cities around the globe.
Protests - some peaceful, some violent - have erupted calling out the systemic injustices carried out against black people, not least seen by the recent deaths of Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.
They are also demanding an end to police brutality and the racism that is so deeply entrenched in America and the western world.
The message is simple: Black lives matter.
VT proudly supports Black Lives Matter, and for ways to contribute to the cause, please click HERE.
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