In a telling op-ed titled, “I Can No Longer Stay Silent,” famous athlete Michael Jordan broke his silence concerning the massive national conversation about police brutality and race relations on Monday.
“I know this country is better than that, Jordan stated, “and I can no longer stay silent.”
You can read the entire op-ed at The Undefeated, but here is an excerpt:
“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.”
It’s clear that Jordan didn’t want to take an extreme position on this sensitive issue, but his charitable contributions show that he is interested in locating a real, long-lasting solution for the major social issue.
