Ben Crump to speak with Van Jones about using $100M gift for Black law center
The famed civil rights attorney has been accepting donations for his new full-service law facility in Florida
Ben Crump has reacted to Jeff Bezos gifting Van Jones $100M to use at his disposal to help the most vulnerable.
As previously reported by theGrio, the Amazon founder and wealthiest man in America announced Tuesday that he plans to donate $100M each to CNN contributor Van Jones and celebrity chef José Andrés.
Crump tells TMZ that he plans to hit up his good pal Jones about using some of the funds to support a full-service law facility in Florida called The Ben Crump Social Justice Law Center — located in St. Thomas University College of Law in Miami Gardens.
According to the outlet, the startup is already underway and aims to offer legal resources to underserved and underprivileged Black Americans who want to become lawyers.
Through his work, the nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable.
Crump has been accepting donations for The Ben Crump Social Justice Law Center for some time, but financial backing from Jones could boost the profile of the project and take it to the next level.
Bezos announced at a press conference Tuesday following his trip to space that his generous gift is part of his new philanthropic initiative called the Courage and Civility Award, which aims to honor “leaders who aim high, and who pursue solutions with courage and who always do so with civility.”
“They can give all to their own charity or they can share their wealth. It’s all up to them,” Bezos said, CNN reports.
“We need unifiers and not vilifiers,” Bezos said. “We need people who argue hard and act hard for what they believe. But they do that always with civility and never ad hominem attacks. Unfortunately, we live in a world where this is too often not the case. But we do have role models.”
While accepting the award, Jones said “Sometimes dreams come true.”
“Lauren and Jeff don’t do nothing small, man, they don’t do anything small, they just don’t do it. They dream big, they love big, and they bet big. And you bet on me, and I appreciate it,” Jones said at a news conference on Tuesday where the award was announced, as reported by The Hill.
Jones is the founder of the nonprofit Dream Corps, which focuses on criminal justice reform. He intends to use the funds to “give to others who have a similar spirit.”
“You got people coming out of prisons, you have got people on reservations, you have got people in Appalachia, you have got people at the border, all people,” said Jones at the press conference. “This country is unbelievable what people are doing, and how much heart they have and how much love they have. They don’t care about these things we divide over sometime and they need more support. If we can connect them with more resources, it is going to make a big difference.”
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