Jordan takes a stand on inequality
Basketball legend pledges $100 million to improve conditions for African-Americans
It is uncertain just how Michael Jordan and his Jordan Brand will spend the US$100 million he has pledged over the next 10 years to improve “racial equality, social justice and greater access to education,” but after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, Jordan decided he had to do something.
“We have been beaten down (as African-Americans) for so many years. It sucks your soul,” he told the Charlotte Observer. “You can’t accept it anymore. This is a tipping point. We need to make a stand. We’ve got to be better as a society regarding race.”
The announcement of Jordan’s pledge Friday came five days after the Hall-of-Fame basketball player and majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets condemned the killing of Floyd, a black man who died May 25 after a white officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes as three other officers looked on. All four officers have been charged in Floyd’s death. Pro- tests around the globe and a
Michael Jordan
growing awareness of the need for systemic change followed his death.
“We haven’t yet figured which vehicles to utilize,” Jordan
said. “But it’s first about making an effort. It’s not just (donating) money. It’s the act of calling on all of us to take a look at ourselves. That’s an important start.”
One of the biggest criticisms of Jordan over the years has been his neutrality on social and political issues, but he has become more outspoken recently. He spoke up when Donald Sterling, the Los Angeles Clippers owner at the time, made racist comments in 2014, and he did so again in the summer of 2016 when he condemned the killing of African-Americans by police.
When NFL players chose to make a statement during the national anthem in the fall of 2017 and U.S. President Donald Trump “uninvited” the NBA champion Golden State Warriors to the White House, Jordan added his voice.
“One of the fundamental rights this country is founded on was freedom of speech, and we have a long tradition of non-violent, peaceful protest. Those who exercise the right to peacefully express themselves should not be demonized or ostracized,” he said then in a statement. “At a time of increasing divisiveness and hate in this country, we should be looking for ways to work together and support each other and not create more division.”
This also isn’t the first time Jordan has donated to support a cause. In 2017, Jordan gave $7 million to create two health clinics in Charlotte’s underserved communities. That year, he voiced displeasure over North Carolina’s “bathroom bill” that led the NBA to move the all-star game out of Charlotte. In 2016, he gave $1 million each to the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s Institute for
Community-Police Relations and the NAACP Legal Defence and Educational Fund. In a statement to The Undefeated that year, he wrote of his desire to “find solutions that ensure people of colour receive fair and equal treatment AND that police officers — who put their lives on the line every day to protect us all — are respected and supported.”
Now, he’s taking more dramatic action at what he considers a crucial time for the country.
“Face up to your demons. Extend a hand. Understand
It’s not just (donating) money. It’s the act of calling on all of us to take a look at ourselves.”
the inequalities,” he told the Observer when asked how to change racist behaviour. “Sure, it’s about bargaining for better policing, but it’s more. We have encountered racism to be somewhat acceptable in certain circles.”
For Jordan, education is “110 per cent” part of the solution.
“My parents always stressed that education was how you best bond with other people. Education is the best route for black people to better themselves. To compete to be the best you can be, you have got to be educated,” he said.