In light of the Black Lives Matter and social justice protests that have gone global after George Floyd's murder, many celebrities are stepping forward to put their money where their mouths are. People like Rihanna, Drake, The Weeknd, Ryan Reynolds, Chrissy Teigen, G-Eazy, Don Cheadle, Seth Rogen, Steve Carrell, and many others have donated to Black Lives Matters efforts, the NAACP, or bail out organizations. Twitter has been taking hard hits from users after failing to reign in President Donald Trump's recent tweets, but CEO Jack Dorsey has announced his support of social justice efforts by saying he's donating Colin Kaepernick's "Know Your Rights" campaign.
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"More #startsmall grants," Jack Dorsey tweeted on Wednesday (June 3). "$3mm to Colin @Kaepernick7’s @yourrightscamp to advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization to elevate the next generation of change leaders."
"Know Your Rights" wasn't the only organization Dorsey donated to; he also shared that he gave "$5m to @WCKitchen to provide fresh meals to those in immediate need and keeps small businesses open in the midst of our ongoing health, economic, and humanitarian crises. Funds will support the Restaurants for the People Program in Oakland, CA." Check out his tweets below.
Beyoncé Donates $6 Million Toward Mental Health Services For Essential Workers
Beyoncé's BeyGOOD initiative has partnered with multiple organizations to provide COVID-19 relief in the form of mental wellness services for essential workers.
Beyoncé's BeyGOOD initiative has donated $6 million toward providing mental wellness services to at-risk essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic. The charity, founded by Beyoncé, has partnered with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey #startsmall and UCLA to provide $6 million in funding to mental wellness organizations. BeyGOOD has also teamed up with the National Alliance in Mental Illness (NAMI) to aid organizations like United Memorial Medical Center, Bread of Life, and Mathew 25 in offering wellness support to essential workers in cities like Houston, New York, Detroit, and New Orleans.
“Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD recognizes the immense mental and personal health burdens being placed on essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic," reads an official statement on the Beyoncé's website. "In our major cities, African-Americans comprise a disproportionate number of workers in these indispensable occupations, and they will need mental health support and personal wellness care, including testing and medical services, food supplies and food deliveries, both during and after the crisis." Beyoncé previously spoke out about how coronavirus has disproportionately affected Black Americans during her appearance on the One World: Together at Home benefit special last weekend. "This virus is killing black people in an alarmingly high rate here in America," she emphasized, before urging her viewers to protect themselves, and "stay encouraged...[and] positive."
Chadwick Boseman Talks "Operation 42" Video, Fans Voice Concern Over Look
Chadwick Boseman just wanted to raise awareness about a charitable effort, but the "Black Panther" star was met with questions about his health.
Noteworthy names are lending their platforms to help aid in COVID-19 relief efforts. Lady Gaga reportedly quietly raised $35 million dollars, Michael Che is paying the rent for 160 units in an entire apartment complex, Twitter's Jack Dorsey has pledged $1 billion toward charitable efforts, Jay Z has donated tens of thousands of masks to prisons, and Rihanna has given millions of dollars as well as ventilators to hospitals. Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman shared a video to his Instagram page on Wednesday (April 15) to speak about "Operation 42," but it was his appearance that captured viewers' attention.
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"I am hearing stories of desperation from people all over the country, and we know our communities are suffering the most and urgently need help," the actor wrote in the caption of his clip. "Celebrating #JackieRobinsonDay with the launch of Thomas Tull’s #Operation42, a donation of 4.2 million dollars in personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals that service the African American Communities who have been hit the hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic. Thank you, Jackie, for refusing to accept the world as it is, for showing us that we can make a difference."
Chadwick, who is often portrayed as a fit figure, looked as if he'd lost a little bit of weight. It could be the upward-facing angle that made the actor look different than normal, but comments came pouring in across social media platforms. Some fans shared messages of earnest concern for his health, while others insisted that he must have changed his appearance for a role. Check out the video from Chadwick Boseman below.
View this post on InstagramRihanna & Jack Dorsey Donate $4.2 Million To Protect Domestic Violence Victims
Rihanna and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey are making sure domestic violence victims are protected while they're stuck at home amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Rihanna's Clarel Lionel Foundation has partnered with Twitter CEO and billionaire, Jack Dorsey, to launch a joint grant toward the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles in an effort to protect victims of domestic violence during the coronavirus pandemic. As California has ordered its residents to shelter-in-place, victims of domestic violence are at a higher risk of abuse than usual. That's why CLF and Dorsey have decided to pledge $2.1 million each to cover 10 weeks of expenses for domestic violence victims and their families. The $4.2 million total grant will be used to provide housing and food for roughly 90 victims every seven days, as well as "an additional 90 victims every week thereafter for 10 weeks." The grant will also allow victims and their families to receive counselling.
"The Los Angeles Housing Authority has determined that approximately 90 people per week (in addition to their children, in many cases) have been turned away from domestic violence shelters in Los Angeles since the Safer at Home Order was issued," a press release read. "It is estimated that more than 10 million people experience domestic violence in the U.S. each year, and the number of homicides related to domestic violence has been on the rise since 2010. In L.A. County, as overall homicides have declined, the number of women slain has steadily risen." Both CLF and Dorsey have acknowledged that DV is an ongoing issue, and that this grant is "just the beginning."
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The news comes in the wake of a major donation made by CLF and Jay-Z's Shawn Carter Foundation to "coronavirus response efforts that support at-risk populations in New York City and Los Angeles." CLF previously donated $5 million to a number of different organizations working to combat the pandemic. Earlier this week, Dorsey himself announced that he had given up 28% of his wealth in an effort to help fight coronavirus. He moved approximately $1 billion in Square stock to Start Small LLC, a company that provides grants to coronavirus relief efforts.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Donates $1 Billion In Square Equity To COVID-19 Relief Efforts
Jack Dorsey has publicly shared on Twitter that he's pulling from his $3.3 billion net worth to help with COVID-19 relief efforts.
In a move that stunned his 4.4 million followers, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey made a surprising announcement on Tuesday (April 7). The social media mogul—who is estimated to have a net worth of over $3 billion, shared on Twitter that he was donating $1 billion of his equity in Square to help with COVID-19 relief efforts.
Scott Olson / Staff / Getty Images"I’m moving $1B of my Square equity (~28% of my wealth) to #startsmall LLC to fund global COVID-19 relief," he tweeted. "After we disarm this pandemic, the focus will shift to girl’s health and education, and UBI." Dorsey added a link to a Google Doc where he is openly tracking when and where he donates the money in an effort to be transparent with the public.
“Why now? The needs are increasingly urgent, and I want to see the impact in my lifetime,” the 43-year-old wrote. “I hope this inspires others to do something similar. Life is too short, so let’s do everything we can today to help people now.” Dorsey also stated that he decided to sell off Square instead of Twitter because he owns more in that company. Check out a few of his tweets below.
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