The Walt Disney Company is pledging $5 million to the NAACP and multiple causes working toward “equality and justice.”
On Wednesday, the company announced its pledge to donate $2 million to the NAACP and another $3 million to various organizations. They were inspired to do so by the death of George Floyd and continuing protests.
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“The killing of George Floyd has forced our nation to once again confront the long history of injustice that black people in America have suffered, and it is critical that we stand together, speak out and do everything in our power to ensure that acts of racism and violence are never tolerated,” Bob Chapek, CEO of Disney, said in a statement.
“This $5 million pledge will continue to support the efforts of nonprofit organizations such as the NAACP that have worked tirelessly to ensure equality and justice.”
— Disney (@Disney) May 31, 2020
The news comes on the heels of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announcing charges against the three other former cops involved in Floyd’s death. The murder charge against Derek Chauvin has also been upgraded from third-degree murder to second-degree murder.
READ MORE: Derek Chauvin charges reportedly upgraded, other three officers also charged
Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. However, the family of Floyd has maintained they wanted it upgraded to first-degree murder because there was intent in Chauvin’s actions as he did not remove his knee from Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes even as Floyd lost consciousness.
Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane, who were fired from the MD police department alongside Chauvin, will be charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
More and more corporations have aligned themselves with the movement toward justice and equality. Meanwhile, the country continues to protest the racial injustice that permeates our society and have been marching in cities across the nation for eight days.
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