Hollywood couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds recently donated USD 200,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
NAACP is a US legal firm fighting against racial injustice, following the death of the African American man, George Floyd, who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis last week.
The couple took to their respective Instagram accounts to post a joint statement addressing the protests against racism which are currently happening in the US and shared details about their contribution to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
The couple said they want to educate themselves and their kids about the experiences of other people and open up on the mistakes that they have committed during their lifetime.
“We’ve never had to worry about preparing our kids for different rules of law or what might happen if we’re pulled over in the car. We don’t know what it’s like to experience that life day in and day out. We can’t imagine feeling that sort of fear and anger. We are ashamed that in the past we have allowed ourselves to be uninformed about how deeply rooted systemic racism is” the couple, who have three daughters together, said in the statement.
They also remarked that they’re committed to raising their kids so they never grow up feeding this insane pattern and will do their best to never inflict pain on others consciously or unconsciously.
Discussing why they were contributing such a large sum they explained, “It’s the least we can do to honour not just George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Eric Garner, but all the black men and women who have been killed when a camera wasn’t rolling.”
The couple wants to use their privilege and platform to be an ally, according to their statement.
Floyd, 46, passed away last Monday in Minneapolis, Minnesota after a white police officer pressed his knee on his neck for more than eight minutes. The officer was arrested and charged with third degree murder.
