Kanye West has donated more than $2 million to the families of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, two unarmed black Americans who were murdered by police officers, as well as pledging to cover the college tuition costs for George Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter Gianna, CNN reports.
- Breonna Taylor was asleep at home with her husband when she was killed. The 26-year-old emergency room technician was in her Louisville apartment when police broke into the property while executing a search warrant. Despite the fact that they were in the completely wrong apartment, they still shot Breonna at least eight times at close range, killing her. The police involved have not been fired or charged.
- Ahmaud Arbery was out running when he was targeted by racist men. A father and son, one of whom was a former police officer, and a third man said their excuse for literally hunting Ahmaud down was that they believed he resembled a suspect in a local robbery case. After arming themselves and chasing him in their pickup truck, they hurled racist slurs at Ahmaud before fatally shooting him in the street. The men are only just starting to be brought to justice.
- Kanye West’s donations will go to help their families and others. His $2 million will go towards legal fees for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor’s families as well as supporting black-owned businesses both in his hometown of Chicago but elsewhere as well.
- George Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter deserves a future too. Kanye West established a 529 education plan to fully fund Gianna’s education when the time comes, it was revealed. Regardless of where she decides to go, all the costs will be covered for her, helping to secure a brighter future.
- While we may not all have millions of dollars, we can still help. There are ways to contribute to the black community right now even if you don’t have a lot of money. For instance, you can sign petitions on Change.org for free. You can talk to people in your life about racism and racist microaggressions. You can buy things from black-owned businesses. You can read and educate yourself on how to become an ally and actively anti-racist. If you do have money, you can donate to bail funds and other organizations that need your help. It takes work but it’s the least we can do.
