Per Release:
On June 5, Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand committed to donate $100 million over 10 years to directly impact the fight against systemic racism. These donations will focus on three priority areas:
- Social Justice: Seeking to increase civic engagement from the Black community to address issues that disproportionately affect them, such as voter suppression and criminal justice reform.
- Economic Justice: Working to eliminate the wealth gap through partnerships that create access to capital, improve the quality and delivery of financial literacy and education programs and build generational wealth in Black communities.
- Education and Awareness: Creating greater awareness of the role race plays in our history and drive a deeper understanding of the effects and consequences of racism.
As part of bringing this commitment to life, Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand today announced three initial partners that will receive donations to support their efforts to combat Black voter suppression.
“I’m all in with Jordan Brand, the Jordan family and our partners, who share a commitment to address the historical inequality that continues to plague Black communities in the U.S.,” says Michael Jordan. “There is a long history of oppression against Black Americans that holds us back from full participation in American society. We understand that one of the main ways we can change systemic racism is at the polls. We know it will take time for us to create the change we want to see, but we are working quickly to take action for the Black community’s voice to be heard.”
Partners were selected based on their ability to take action that can create impact now. Donations of $1 million each to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) and the Formerly Incarcerated & Convicted People and Families Movement (FICPFM), and $500,000 to Black Voters Matter to support reformative practices that drive real change in the Black community.
Donations of $1 million each to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) and the Formerly Incarcerated & Convicted People and Families Movement (FICPFM), and $500,000 to Black Voters Matter to support reformative practices that drive real change in the Black community.
“The $100 million commitment was just the start. We are moving from commitment to action. Our initial partners can directly impact the social and political well-being of the Black community,” says Craig Williams, President of Jordan Brand. “We will have a disciplined focus on social justice, economic justice and education, as the most effective ways for us to eliminate the systemic racism that remains in society.”
The work of these partners will focus on cities and states where Black people are underrepresented in registration and turnout numbers, relative to their share of the overall population.
“I’m all in with Jordan Brand, the Jordan Family and our partners, who share a commitment to address the historical inequality that continues to plague Black communities in the U.S.”Michael Jordan
Through the existing Jordan Wings Program, Jordan Brand has been focused on providing access to education, mentorship and opportunity for Black youth. These existing commitments will continue in parallel to these efforts, with increasing grants to U.S.-based Wings partners who are fighting to help youth overcome the obstacles of systemic racism in Black communities.
More About our Partners
Black Voters Matter (Capacity Building Institute) has been successful in supporting policies that expand access to the ballot, including the restoration of voting rights to people who have been incarcerated, and the development of network of grassroots organizations that activate Black voters. Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand will support Black Voters Matter in its efforts to register and turn out voters in the upcoming elections. For more information, visit bvmcapacitybuilding.org.
Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted Peoples and their Families Movement (FICPFM) FICPFM supports formerly incarcerated individuals who are returning to society, to promote civic engagement, help them meet voter registration eligibility requirements and shift the dominant narrative on who convicted people and their loved ones are. Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand will support FICPFM to help restore the rights of disenfranchised voters. For more information, visit ficpfm.org.
LDF, which was founded by Thurgood Marshall before he became the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice, is the nation’s premier civil rights law organization. It employs litigation, advocacy and public education to advance its mission to achieve racial justice, equality and an inclusive society. Over the past 80 years, LDF has fought for structural changes to expand democracy and eliminate disparities. Through its many transformative cases, such as Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine that underpinned legal segregation, LDF has changed the very fabric of American democracy. Today, LDF fights to expand and protect civil rights so that our nation’s promise of racial equity and justice can become a reality for all Americans. For more information, visit naacpldf.org.