Yahoo Finance Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand Are Donating $100 Million to Racial Justice Organizations
With the nation undergoing a staggering reckoning regarding policing and racism, people ranging from everyday Americans to celebrities and brands are donating to anti-racist organizations. And on Friday, NBA legend Michael Jordan announced that he and his multi-billion dollar Jordan Brand will donate $100 million dollars to the cause over the next decade.
"The Jordan Brand is us, the Black Community," read a statement released by Jordan and the brand Friday. "It's 2020...Yet as much as things have changed, the worst remains the same."
"Black lives matter," the message continued. "This is not 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."
For decades, Jordan was known for his reluctance to wade into politics—a reluctance summarized by his now-infamous observation that "Republicans buy sneakers, too." In 2016, he pledged to donate $1 million to organizations on both sides of the policing debate: the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the International Association of Chiefs of Police's Institute for Community-Police Relations. This time, he's dedicating a far larger sum, and donating solely to anti-racist organizations. Perhaps it's an indication that Jordan is even more willing to get political these days—and that the Black Lives Matter movement has truly entered the political mainstream.
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