Basketball legend Michael Jordan and Nike’s Jordan brand are giving $1 million to Morehouse College in Atlanta to boost journalism and sports-related studies.
The gift announced on Friday will help enrich its journalism and sports studies that was originally launched with a donation from director and actor Spike Lee. According to a press statement from the institution, the contribution will assist support scholarships, technology, and instructional studies for students studying in those subjects.
“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.
The contribution is part of Jordan and Jordan brand’s bigger charitable commitment known as the Black Community Commitment, which has directed contributions to groups such as the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Ida B. Wells Society, among others.
Jordan stated, “Education is critical for comprehending the Black experience today. We want to help people realize the truth about our history and share the tales that will influence our future.” The study, which focuses on the absence of Black leadership in sports journalism and athletics, has graduated over 80 people who currently work in media and sports.
Lee, a Morehouse alumnus from 1979, predicted a strong legacy of storytellers who would be nurtured by these programs. “Many people are led to believe certain things about Black people because of what they see on television and in Hollywood. We have to convey our story,” he concluded.
