Last year, Michael Jordan pledged to donate $10 million over a decade to different diverse programs through his Black Community Commitment platform, and he is following through with that promise. This year, Jordan and Nike’s Jordan Brand are donating $1 million to Morehouse College for their journalism program. The money will also be used to help support careers focused in sports.
“Morehouse is grateful to Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand for an investment in the education of talented men of color who will ensure there is equity, balance, and truth in the way sports stories are framed and the way the Black experience is contextualized within American history,” said Monique Dozier, vice president for institutional advancement at Morehouse.
Jordan’s organization has also donated to Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Ida B. Wells Society, among others. “Education is crucial for understanding the Black experience today,” Jordan said. “We want to help people understand the truth of our past and help tell the stories that will shape our future.”
The school’s journalism program was initially launched with a donation from director and actor Spike Lee. Lee, who graduated Morehouse in 1979, said there would be a “rich legacy of storytellers who will be supported by these programs.” He continued to state, “many people are influenced to think a certain way about Black folks based on what they see on television and in Hollywood. We’ve got to tell our story.”
[Via]