Source: Jordan Brand / Jordan Brand
In case you didn’t get the memo, Michael Jordan is woke now. Today (May 28), Jordan Brand announced the latest entities on the receiving end of its Black community commitment grants.
Back in June 2020, Jordan Brand committed to donating $100 million to social justice causes over a 10-year period. Almost a year to the day since the program’s announcement, three institutions that will receive multi-year grants due to their work educating the world about the Black experience are The National Museum of African American History and Culture, Morehouse College and The Ida B. Wells Society.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture will receive $3 million (over three years) and JB will work with the institution to boost up its Talking About Race web portal, which helps sparks discussions around race as well as its Let’s Talk speaker series, which helps educators encourage conversation about racism and history. Renowned HBCU Morehouse will get $1 million to be used toward expanding its Journalism & Sports Marketing course program with scholarships and enhancing its digital media lab. The Ida B. Wells Society, which was founded in 2015 at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill to spotlight opportunities for journalists of color, will receive $1 million to be used to heighten opportunities and development in the investigative journalism field.
“Education is crucial for understanding the Black experience today,” said Michael Jordan in a press statement. “We want to help people understand the truth of our past, and help tell the stories that will shape our future.”
Interestingly, one of the Ida B. Wells Society’s founders is Nikole Hannah-Jones, whose lack of tenure at UNC has recently come under fire. Expect UNC to course correct, sooner than later.
Also, back in April, a first round of Community Grants was opened with an application process to provide $1 million to local, grassroots organizations.
Seems like Michael Jordan is very clear that a lot of Black people are rocking his shoes.
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