Michael Jordan is famously private — so private, in fact, that he has been accused of being too quiet about social justice issues. "He took commerce over conscious," Kareem Abdul-Jabbar accused in 2015. "That's unfortunate for him, but he's got to live with it."
No longer. On Monday, Jordan released a statement about police violence against the black community. "I was raised by parents who taught me to love and respect people regardless of their race or background, so I am saddened and frustrated by the divisive rhetoric and racial tensions that seem to be getting worse as of late," he said. "I know this country is better than that, and I can no longer stay silent."
Jordan cited the death of his father, who was killed in a roadside robbery in 1993. "I grieve with the families who have lost loved ones, as I know their pain all too well," he said.
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In an effort to help Americans come together and "achieve constructive change," Jordan said he is donating $1 million to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund as well as to the International Association of Chiefs of Police's Institute for Community-Police Relations. "We need to find solutions that ensure people of color 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," Jordan said.
Terrence Cunningham, the IACP president, was so surprised that he said his team actually vetted the money to confirm it was coming from Jordan, The Undefeated reports. "What an interesting piece: police, race relations and athletics," Cunningham said. "I'm thinking many of the 800,000 police officers were at some point athletes. I'm a white guy from suburbia, and I remember that when I played football it was all about the sport, and racism melted away."
Read Jordan's entire statement here, and more about the impact of his words and donations at The Undefeated.
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