Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand pledge $100 million for racial equality

On Friday afternoon, Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand committed $100 million over the next years to “organizations dedicated to ensuring racial equality, social justice and greater access to education.”

Below is the release on behalf of Jordan and his brand:

Here is the text of the statement:

The Jordan Brand is us, the Black Community. 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. 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.

Jordan’s donation and commitment comes just days after he released a statement sharing his sadness, pain, and frustration in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the state of race relations in the country.

After Dean Smith passed away in 2015, Jordan said of his college coach: “Other than my parents, no one had a bigger influence on my life than Coach Smith. He was more than a coach – he was my mentor, my teacher, my second father.”

Smith, with his dedication to desegregation, abolishment of the death penalty, and other issues, was a leader in social justice. With this generous pledge, Jordan is following in his late coach’s footsteps by committing action and resources to today’s critical causes.