Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand Donate $500,000 to Battle Voter Suppression

Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand are donating millions to organizations that battle voter suppression by “[supporting] reformative practices that drive real change in the Black community.”

In total, the company is donating  $2.5 million to three different organizations. The company said the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc. and the Formerly Incarcerated & Convicted People and Families Movement will receive $1 million each. Another $500,000 will go to Black Voters Matter.

As election season is in full swing, the company is hoping to battle the different avenues of oppression affecting people of color, including voter suppression.

“There is a long history of oppression against Black Americans that holds us back from full participation in American society. We understand that one of the main ways we can change systemic racism is at the polls,” Jordan said in a statement “We know it will take time for us to create the change we want to see, but we are working quickly to take action for the Black community’s voice to be heard.”

In June, Jordan announced a 10 year plan to donate $100 million dollars to help the fight against systemic oppression and racism. 

In a joint statement at the time, Jordan and the company, which is owned by Nike, wrote: “The Jordan Brand is us, the Black Community. Until the ingrained racism that allows our country’s institutions to fail is completely eradicated, we will remain committed to protecting and improving the lives of Black people.”

After George Floyd’s death, Jordan said he was “plain angry.”

"I see and feel everyone's pain, outrage and frustration,” he wrote in a statement. "I stand with those who are calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of color in our country. We have had enough."

RELATED STORIES