After years of being silent about the many unwarranted murders of African Americans at the hands of police officers, NBA icon, Michael Jordan, has just stepped up and chosen his conscience over his profits, stating in his new open letter, that he “can no longer be silent” about these horrific murders.
When I heard about Jordan’s letter, my first thought was ‘Here we go again, another celeb following the trend of writing a letter for publicity, without any real intention of using their fame to make true change in our justice system’…
But midway through reading it, Jordan proved me wrong, because although he simply wrote a letter, he at least put his money where his mouth is and vowed to help put an end to unjust police brutality by donating $2MILLION of his own money to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and to the Institute for Community-Police Relations (they’ll get $1 million each). Both organizations work to improve police-community interactions and build trust.
That will be a process, but still a good start, because the sooner the trigger happy cops can take cues from the good cops and learn that Black people aren’t hunting animals, nor target practice, but are actually equal human beings who deserve to be respected as such…the closer they’ll be to lowering the countless blood count on their hands, and the safer African Americans will be when getting pulled over for a broken taillight and such, but I digress. Anyways, you can read Jordan’s full open letter below…
FROM MICHAEL JORDAN:
“As a proud American, a father who lost his own dad in a senseless act of violence, and a black man, I have been deeply troubled by the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement and angered by the cowardly and hateful targeting and killing of police officers. I grieve with the families who have lost loved ones, as I know their pain all too well.”
“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. I know this country is better than that, and I can no longer stay silent. 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.”
“Over the past three decades I have seen up close the dedication of the law enforcement officers who protect me and my family. I have the greatest respect for their sacrifice and service. I also recognize that for many people of color their experiences with law enforcement have been different than mine. I have decided to speak out in the hope that we can come together as Americans, and through peaceful dialogue and education, achieve constructive change.
“To support that effort, I am making contributions of $1 million each to two organizations, the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s newly established Institute for Community-Police Relations and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The Institute for Community-Police Relations’ policy and oversight work is focused on building trust and promoting best practices in community policing. My donation to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the nation’s oldest civil rights law organization, will support its ongoing work in support of reforms that will build trust and respect between communities and law enforcement. Although I know these contributions alone are not enough to solve the problem, I hope the resources will help both organizations make a positive difference.”
“We are privileged to live in the world’s greatest country – a country that has provided my family and me the greatest of opportunities. The problems we face didn’t happen overnight and they won’t be solved tomorrow, but if we all work together, we can foster greater understanding, positive change and create a more peaceful world for ourselves, our children, our families and our communities.”
