More than a decade after he retired, Michael Jordan is still one of the most recognizable names in sports and now he is using his platform to speak out about the fatal shootings of African-American men and the retaliation against police officers.
On Monday, the NBA Hall of Famer talked about these issues in a letter published via The Undeafeated in which he said that he refused to “stay silent” on the topic anymore.
“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,” Jordan wrote.
He mentioned that he lost his father to gun violence in 1993 and can relate to the tremendous loss all the families involved are feeling.
“I grieve with the families who have lost loved ones, as I know their pain all too well,” he stated.
Jordan also acknowledged that he felt there is so much work needed to be done to improve racial relations and to help in those efforts he is donating $2 million total to two separate groups.
“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 53-year-old wrote.
MJ's donations and stance against the violence comes after current NBA stars LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade all took the stage at the ESPY Awards and called on current and former athletes to become more involved with this issue.
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