Michael Jordan, stating that he “can no longer stay silent,” will donate $1 million each to two organizations, the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s Institute for Community-Police Relations and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

He begins the statement by highlighting his own pain,  “As a proud American, a father who lost his own dad in a senseless act of violence, and a black man, I have been deeply troubled by the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement and angered by the cowardly and hateful targeting and killing of police officers. I grieve with the families who have lost loved ones, as I know their pain all too well.”

Jordan released his statement to ESPN’s The Undefeated.

He continues:

“We need to find solutions that ensure people of color receive fair and equal treatment AND that police officers – who put their lives on the line every day to protect us all – are respected and supported.”

Read the full statement.

Current NBA stars LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Dwayne Wade recently took the stage at the ESPYS to call for athletes to become more socially active.  Several WNBA teams have used their platform to speak out on this issue.

The Institute for Community-Police Relations was recently established by the International Association of Chiefs of Police is focused on building trust and promoting best practices in community policing.  The NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund was established in 1940 to push for civil rights using the legal system.  In 1957, it became an entirely independent organization from the NAACP.

The statement and donation follows decades of a perception that Jordan shies away from politics.  That stems from a quote attributed to him in the 1995 book “Second Coming” by Chicago sportswriter Sam Smith.  In the book, an anonymous friend claimed Jordan said that “Republicans buy sneakers, too.”  The quote was in reference to Jordan’s apparent refusal to publicly endorse Harvey Gantt, an African-American Democrat and former mayor of Charlotte, in his attempt to unseat Republican Sen. Jesse Helms during the 1990 election.  The quote was disputed by a spokesperson for Jordan.

Jordan has been politically active, however.  He donated to Barack Obama’s presidential and senatorial campaigns.  The Undefeated notes that Jordan did donate $4,000 to Gantt’s second senate campaign in 1996.