Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand announced last Friday that they would be donating $100 Million for the cause of the ongoing fight against the racial inequality. Of course, this donation will not be some one-time option as such and will be made over the next decade.
In fact, Michael Jordan has long been criticised time and again as he was found to be unwilling to speak on the causes that have anything to do with race, equality and such other factors. However, the Basketball star has finally broken the stigma associated with his name by making a huge donation – even though the donation has been spread over the next ten years.
In a joint statement, the sporting star and the Jordan Group stated that the donation is for the “organizations dedicated to ensuring racial equality, social justice and greater access to education.” The statement further added, “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.”
It should be worth noting that this is the highest amount of donation being made from someone in the sports field if you are looking at the financial contribution to any non-profit organisation. The announcement for the donation was made on Friday through a joint statement and followed a full week of protests across the United States against social injustice. The protests, as the whole world is now aware, were resulted from the death of an unarmed black man during an arrest in Minneapolis.
It may be noted that Jordan has been one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA in particular, and basketball in general. He has an estimated net worth of $ 2.1 Billion. The Basketball legend has issued a statement condemning Floyd’s killing.
“I am deeply saddened, truly pained and plain angry,…We have had enough.” – he had said back then on Sunday. The comments and the donation have followed the widespread criticism he has faced over the years over his reluctance on talking about and taking a proactive role in social activism or other activist causes. However, he has gone on record to state that he never sees himself as a social activist and looks up to himself as just a basketball player.
He had stated back in time that “I do commend Muhammad Ali for standing up for what he believed in,…But I never thought of myself as an activist. I thought of myself as a basketball player…I wasn’t a politician when I was playing my sport. I was focused on my craft,…Was that selfish? Probably. But that was my energy. That’s where my energy was.”
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