Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul team up to create social justice organization
The 2016 EPSYs was just the beginning. Now, it’s time for action.
Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul announced Wednesday the launch of the Social Change Fund, a new organization committed to investing and supporting communities of color.
“We established the Social Change Fund to invest in and support organizations working to champion criminal justice reform, enact policy solutions, and advocate for the human rights of all Black lives now and for generations to come,” Anthony said in a statement. “I stand for everything this Fund and its beneficiaries support and will not stop pushing for progress until we see an end to the systemic racism that the Black community has faced for too long.”
The three friends initially financed the fund, however, their combined star power has already attracted other outside support from Beyond Meat, Goldman Sachs and Creative Artists Agency’s Managing Partners and Agency Board. Championing causes such as the end of police brutality, criminal justice reform and equal voting rights, the Fund will look to donate the contributions to organizations with similar goals.
“Our mission is to address social and economic justice issues facing Black communities and break down the discriminatory barriers to success,” Paul said in a statement.
This isn’t the first time the trio joined together to advocate for racial equality. They, along with longtime friend LeBron James, combined forces to deliver a poignant message at the 2016 ESPY Awards. At the time, the country was reeling from the recent deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, both of whom were fatally shot by police.
“The system is broken,” Anthony said, standing on stage flanked by his three friends. “The problems are not new, the violence is not new and the racial divide definitely is not new but the urgency to create change is at an all-time high.”
“Racial profiling has to stop,” Wade added. “The shoot-to-kill mentality has to stop. Not seeing the value of Black and brown bodies has to stop.”
