Michael Jordan

A $1 million grant from basketball legend Michael Jordan and his Jordan Brand’s Black Community Commitment will aid the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting.

The grant from Jordan, a UNC alumnus, and his company aims to increase diversity in the field of investigative journalism through outreach efforts to aspiring journalists of color, according to a release shared Thursday.

The society, which is housed at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, will use the money to expand its college internships program and build summer partnerships at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in North Carolina. Partnerships in the current program include the New York Times, the Miami Herald, ProPublica and the Associated Press.

 

The money will also help launch a yearlong high school journalism project at a majority Black and Latino public high school in North Carolina.

The Black Community Commitment from Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand is a 10-year, $100 million pledge to support social and economic justice. The initiative was created in the summer of 2020, following nationwide protests over police killings of Black residents, like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

The Ida B. Wells Society was founded in 2016 for journalists of color to pursue investigative reporting. It is one of the three organizations to receive funding from Jordan’s commitment in this year’s allocation. In May, the Jordan Brand announced a $1 million grant to Morehouse College in Atlanta to aid its journalism and sports-related studies.

Nikole Hannah-Jones, a co-founder of the Ida B. Wells Society and a UNC alumna, said the work of the grant will be important to teaching young people the importance of investigative reporting.

“Our democracy is in crisis as politicians are advancing a wave of voter suppression laws across the country and journalists must step up to be the firewall for our democracy,” Hannah-Jones said. “That makes the work we do as a Society and the substantial support of Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand so critical in this moment.”

President of the Jordan Brand, Craig Williams said the partnership with the Ida B. Wells Society is about creating a better future.

“The work of the Ida B. Wells Society has common roots in our Black Community Commitment, reframing stories from the community, opening up new spaces of access and inspiration, and advancing social justice,” Williams said. “We look forward to supporting young, diverse talent, and helping to change the landscape for investigative journalism.”

 

 Photo by Bryan Horowitz/Flckr

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