NBA legend Michael Jordan announced he is donating $1 million to Morehouse College to enhance the school’s journalism and sports-related studies.
“Education is crucial for understanding the Black experience today,” said Jordan in a Morehouse news release. “We want to help people understand the truth of our past, and help tell the stories that will shape our future.”
The program was initially launched with a donation from director and actor Spike Lee. The program aims to boost Black leadership in sports journalism and athletics and has produced more than 80 graduates who now work in the field.
“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.
This donation is one of many recently made by Jordan’s brand, the Black Community Commitment. The BCC has made substantial donations to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Ida B. Wells Society, among other organizations.
“There’s going to be a rich legacy of storytellers who will be supported by these programs,” added Morehouse alumnus Spike Lee. “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.”
For more information about Jordan Brand’s The Black Community Commitment, visit news.nike.com.
