In January, some of the biggest stars in music descended upon the Atlanta History Center to pay homage to the 30-year legacy of LaFace Records and its co-founders, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Antonio “L.A.” Reid. This black-tie affair, dubbed YouTube Music’s 2020 Leaders & Legends Ball, featured familiar names such…
Bank of America has announced that it is committing $1 billion to fight racial and economic inequality, pointing to recent civil unrest over racism in the country as its impetus for the major move.
“The events of the past week have created a sense of true urgency that has arisen across our nation, particularly in view of the racial injustices we have seen in the communities where we work and live,” said Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan.
“We all need to do more.”
READ MORE: Jay-Z takes out full-page ads across the country in dedication to George Floyd
In addition to the recent events regarding racial violence in America, Moynihan emphasized the economic and social disparities for communities of color that were only magnified by the coronavirus pandemic.
The $1 billion will come in the form of a 4-year commitment to support local communities in addressing economic and racial inequality. The bank said those funds will exclusively go toward people and communities of color that have been disproportionately impacted by the health crisis.
Some of the areas of focus will be on testing and other health services, partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities, research programs and supporting minority-owned businesses.
Bank of America’s move comes after more than a week of civil unrest across the nation over the fatal shootings of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and George Floyd in Minnesota. Demonstrations in dozens of cities have at times turned violent, as protesters and law enforcement officers clashed in horrific scenes.
READ MORE: Details for George Floyd’s funeral, memorial services released
Other leaders in the banking industry have also spoken out amid the national crisis. Last, week, according to Reuters, Citigroup CFO Mark Mason, one of few Black executives on Wall Street, said he was filled with “horror, disgust and anger” over the police killing of Floyd.
The leaders of two other big banks, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, also denounced racism and discrimination in statements of their own. The outrage was also felt from banks across the border in neighboring Canada.
While it may be the most sizable contribution toward such a cause from one of America’s largest financial institutions, it is not the only monetary gift from a big bank to help combat structural inequality.
Goldman Sachs committed $300 million to support communities and small businesses in April, Reuters reported, while JPMorgan pledged $50 million to address public health and economic challenges caused by the pandemic.
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When veteran and longtime retired corrections officer Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr. triggered his medical alert pendant accidentally in 2011, police showed up as they were supposed to do. But that was the last thing that went right that night.
READ MORE: Details for George Floyd’s funeral, memorial services released
Instead of helping him, White Plains, N.Y. police officers killed Chamberlain in his own home. Although he told the medical alert operator he didn’t need help, after a 90-minute standoff, Chamberlain’s door was broken down.
Chamberlain, 68, was bipolar, reported The New York Times. After officers— who it was proven on audio called him a racial slur— tased him and used beanbag rounds on him, it is alleged that Chamberlain lunged at one with a knife and was shot and killed. DNA evidence contradicts that explanation, showing he was unarmed, according to The New York Daily News.
Despite Chamberlain saying he was fine and the medical alert company attempting to cancel the call, police insisted on coming to his apartment in person. He had diagnosed mental issues, and the Times says, police had been called there before.
But initial police reports omitted one of the officer’s use of the ‘n’ word and that police had initially responded to a medical emergency call, according to Democracy Now!
In 2012, the officer who fired the fatal shot, Anthony Carelli, was not indicted after a grand jury investigation.
But Chamberlain’s son, Kenneth Jr., has sought justice for his father ever since. He co-founded the Westchester Coalition for Police Reform, which sought to change departmental policies, especially those when dealing with the mentally ill. He sued the White Plains police and the city for $21M in a wrongful death suit. In 2016, a judge ruled against him, saying neither the city nor the police were liable.
This week, a judge restored some of the suit on appeal, restoring the claims of unlawful entry and non-lethal excessive force, reports the Rockland/Westchester Journal News.
Though Carelli’s lawyer says his client is still not culpable in the case as he was found not to be so in 2017, Chamberlain Jr.’s lawyer will argue that he should still be held liable for his role in the shooting.
“Overjoyed is an understatement,” Kenneth Jr. said after the ruling. “The appeals court has confirmed what we knew all along: That they violated my father’s 4th Amendment rights.”
He says that the ruling coming as protestors fought for justice in the George Floyd killing prove that the “extrajudicial killings and summary executions” have created a pandemic of racism “just like COVID-19.”
His advice to families who have dealt with similar situations is simple.
READ MORE: Benjamin Crump says other officers ‘will be charged’ in George Floyd death
“Don’t give up. Stay the course. Continue to fight,” he told the Rockland/Westchester Journal-News. “Because justice delayed is not justice denied.”
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Drake donated $100,000 to National Bail Out, a collective tasked with helping to bail out Black mothers and caregivers during the coronavirus pandemic.
The generous gesture was prompted by Mustafa the Poet who donated $400 to the cause and tagged his fellow Torontonians, Drake and The Weeknd, to do the same. “Swipe up & match my donation, but add 3 zeros! Let’s help reunite Black families.”
Mustafa the Poet later tweeted a receipt for the donation showing $100,000 charged to an American Express. In the DM exchange posted on Twitter, Drake said that the large donation was flagged by his credit card as fraud, but he was able to verify the charge.
READ MORE: Black community torn over #BlackOutTuesday campaign
🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝 @NationalBailOut pic.twitter.com/ZhqlufOtpu
— Mustafa (@MustafaThePoet) June 1, 2020
For years, the National Bail Out has coordinated “Mama’s Day Bail Outs,” using donations to bail Black mothers out of jail. The collective works with groups across the country to provide fellowship and employment opportunities for the mothers and create a network of community leaders.
During the coronavirus pandemic, prisoners have been particularly vulnerable to the transmission of the virus. The National Bail Out collective posted on Twitter that they have bailed out nearly 70 women amid the pandemic. Each woman receives, “personal protective equipment, food, and sustainable housing” to ensure that she can safely shelter in place.
The organization has not commented on the donation as of the time of publishing.
Drake had been previously called out on social media for his relative silence during the civil unrest in the United States in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. The gesture may earn him goodwill with fans.
“They asked Drake to match $400,” one viral tweet read, “He said ‘hold my Prosecco.’
Another tweet showed a thank you to The Weeknd who made a $200,000 donation to the Know Your Rights Camp founded by Colin Kaepernick.
READ MORE: Jay-Z takes out full-page ads across the country in dedication to George Floyd
they asked Drake to match $400… he said hold my prosecco pic.twitter.com/TkcZh0o545
— like dark dark (@ShenaeCurry) June 1, 2020
The rapper also took to Instagram to participate in the #BlackOutTuesday in support of Floyd. The music industry declared that they were going to “turn off the music” on Tuesday in an effort to reflect and inspire change amid nationwide protesting over the deaths of Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and other Black people who have been killed or terrorized.
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After months in self-imposed quarantine, former Vice President Joe Biden spoke out about the racial tensions taking over American cities and called out President Donald Trump for spitting out rhetoric that he believes is meant to divide this nation even further.
Biden delivered a speech from Philadelphia City Hall on Tuesday in which he highlighted how the president’s words and actions during an ongoing pandemic and protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, only made a precarious situation much worse than it needed to be.
READ MORE: Biden meets with Black leaders at local church amid unrest
“Look where we are now and think anew: Is this who we are? Is this who we want to be? Is this who we want to pass on to our children and our grandchildren? Fear. Anger. Finger-pointing rather than the pursuit of happiness? Or do we want to be the America we know we could be?” Biden asked.
These sentiments echo his campaign theme of “restoring the soul of this nation.” In that spirit, Biden also chastised Trump for his controversial Rose Garden address on Monday, in which he outlined his administration’s military response to the protests.
That’s what the presidency is: a duty of care — to all of us, not just our voters, not just our donors, but all of us. pic.twitter.com/rWHywb5cHV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 2, 2020
The presidency is a big job. Nobody will get everything right. I won’t either.
But I promise you this: I won’t traffic in fear and division or fan the flames of hate. I will seek to heal the racial wounds that have long plagued this country — not use them for political gain. pic.twitter.com/TfNaoMRZQp
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 2, 2020
READ MORE: Joe Biden spoke to George Floyd’s family, calls death ‘act of brutality’
“The president held up the Bible at St John’s Church yesterday. I just wish he opened it once in a while, instead of brandishing it,” Biden said. “If he opened it, he could have learned something that we’re all called to love one another as we love ourselves. It’s really hard work. But it’s the work of America. Donald Trump isn’t interested in doing that work.”
“In addition to the Bible, he might also want to open the U.S. Constitution,” he continued. “If he did, he’d find the First Amendment.”
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