Michael Jordan pledges huge $100m fund to fight racism
Basketball legend, Michael Jordan, has donated $100million to the fight against racism.
The United States has been ripped apart following the death of 46-year-old African American man George Floyd.
He died after police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes while restraining him.
Chauvin has been charged with second degree murder while the other three officers have been charged with aiding and abetting murder.
It has led to huge protests throughout the US and several cities across the world, with the Black Lives Matter organisation leading calls for reform.
Now Jordan, who is known by most as basketball’s greatest ever player, has announced he is investing in the fight against racism.
His manager and spokeswoman Estee Portnoy tweeted out the statement regarding the donation that will be spread out over the next ten years.
It read: “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 organisations dedicated to ensuring racial equality, social justice and greater access to education.”
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Mr Floyd was being detained on May 25 outside a store in Minneapolis where an employee had reported to police a man matching his description tried to pay for cigarettes with a counterfeit bill.
In the video he had can heard begging “please, please, please, I can’t breathe”, which has sparked international protests about mistreatment of black people by police.