Michael Jordan spoke about police brutality and his recent $100 million donation through the Jordan Brand to the Black community in a new interview with the Charlotte Observer, earlier this week.

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“We have been beaten down (as African-Americans) for so many years. It sucks your soul. You can’t accept it anymore. This is a tipping point. We need to make a stand. We’ve got to be better as a society regarding race,” Jordan said.

“Face up to your demons. Extend a hand. Understand the inequalities,” he urged. “Sure, it’s about bargaining for better policing, but it’s more. We have encountered racism to be somewhat acceptable in certain circles.”

Jordan also spoke about his recently announced $100 million donation. He isn’t yet specifying where exactly the donation will go, but says it’s about making an effort: “We haven’t yet figured which vehicles to utilize. But it’s first about making an effort. It’s not just (donating) money. It’s the act of calling on all of us to take a look at ourselves. That’s an important start.”

Jordan also uses the interview to speak about education, police bias, and philanthropy. Check out his full interview with Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer here.

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Justin Bieber is voicing his support for the black community with a new post on Instagram. The artist says he is both “inspired by black culture,” and has “benefitted off of black culture.”

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“I am inspired by black culture. I have benefited off of black culture. my style, how I sing, dance, perform, and my fashion have all been influenced and inspired by black culture,” Bieber says in the Instagram post.

“I am committed to using my platform from this day forward to learn, to speak up about racial injustice and systemic oppression, and to identify ways to be a part of much needed change,” he continues.

In the days since the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin, Bieber has been consistently active on his Instagram page raising awareness for the issue of police brutality and calling for the arrest of the officers involved in Floyd’s death.

Floyd died on May 25, after Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for over 8 minutes. Video of the incident, which shows Floyd pleading with the officer that he cannot breathe, went viral online. All four officers have since been fired and criminally charged for their involvement. 

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In the past, Michael Jordan has been criticized for not using his platform to speak up against political injustice. Well, you can't say that anymore as recently, he came out with a statement condemning what happened to George Floyd. Jordan noted that he was upset with what he saw and that he hopes we can achieve racial equality in this country.

Today, Jordan came through with an unprecedented pledge as he released a statement saying Jordan Brand would commit $100 million over the next 10 years to organizations in the black community. In his statement, Jordan makes sure to note that Black Lives Matter and that he wants to help provide real change for his people.

After the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, numerous brands came out with statements in support of the black community and even sought to educate people of systemically racist power structures. Nike launched a ‘Don’t Do It” ad campaign which spoke out against racism but now they are making a statement in an even bigger way.

It is being reported that Nike will now pledge $40 million to the black community over the next four years. This $40 million will be split amongst Nike, Jordan Brand, and even Converse. President and CEO of Nike John Donahoe came out with a powerful statement as to why this contribution is so necessary.

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“Systemic racism and the events that have unfolded across America over the past few weeks serve as an urgent reminder of the continued change needed in our society,” said Donahoe. “We know Black Lives Matter. We must educate ourselves more deeply on the issues faced by Black communities and understand the enormous suffering and senseless tragedy racial bigotry creates. The Nike Inc. family can always do more but will never stop striving to role model how a diverse company acts. We will continue our focus on being more representative of our consumers while doing our part in the communities we serve.”

With this latest donation in mind, we will surely be seeing even more pledges over the next few weeks. Hopefully, this all leads to real change.

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With the Presidential election set to take place this November, Donald Trump has been attempting to strengthen his position in the White House. And while there are many eager at the prospect of seeing him defeated, there remain a strong baseline of Trump supporters who have fully endorsed the President and his blunt ways. Still, Trump has remained unabashedly unchanged, never failing to prop himself up or declare his own accomplishments.

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Today has been no different, with Donald Trump taking to Twitter to address one of the ongoing narratives that have long plagued him. "My Admin has done more for the Black Community than any President since Abraham Lincoln. Passed Opportunity Zones with @SenatorTimScott," he writes, positioning himself alongside a legendary American figure. "Guaranteed funding for HBCU’s, School Choice, passed Criminal Justice Reform, lowest Black unemployment, poverty, and crime rates in history."

Despite claiming that "the best is yet to come," many were taken aback by his invocation of President Lincoln, who actively helped abolish the Civil War and ended slavery in America through the Thirteenth Amendment. Given that Donald Trump's handling of the George Floyd protests have been divisive, to say the least, it's likely that his words will be used against him by those hoping for change. Check out his tweet below.

According to data calculated by the St. Louis County, the Black community is being hit much harder than others by the novel coronavirus. Officials have actually determined that, of the twelve deaths resulting from COVID-19 complications, all of them have been African-American.

The troubling claim was made by Health Director Dr. Fredrick Echols.

“If you look at the health disparities in the city of St. Louis, they’re not unique,” he said. “Inequities exist across the U.S. and across the world, and it’s posed a challenge for public health agencies, (which) have to address those issues and ensure all individuals, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, income, or educational attainment have access to quality health-related resources.”

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On Wednesday (April 9), there were over 480 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in St. Louis. It has been reported that the African-American community is being hit harder by the virus in St. Louis, but that is unconfirmed in other parts of the country.

The current stay-at-home order is set to expire on April 22. Echols notes that the lockdown will surely be extended though, as cases continue to grow. 

“Based on what we’re currently seeing, with the increase in cases daily as well as the increase in the number of deaths, it is likely we’ll have to extend the stay-at-home order,” he said. “However, things may change. We will continue to monitor the situation.”

Stay safe, everybody.

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