U.K. rapper Stormzy has pledged to donate £10 million — roughly $17 million CDN — to organizations, charities and movements working toward dismantling racial inequality, justice reform and "Black empowerment" over the next 10 years.
Alongside his record label, #Merky, the grime vet has promised to safeguard people in the Black British community while also uplifting their voices.
"The uncomfortable truth that our country continuously fails to recognise and admit is that black people in the U.K. have been at a constant disadvantage in every aspect of life — simply due to the colour of our skin," the artist wrote in a release.
"I'm lucky enough to be in the position I'm in and I've heard people often dismiss the idea of racism existing in Britain by saying, 'If the country's so racist how have you become a success?!'" Stormzy continued. "And I reject that with this: I am not the U.K.'s shining example of what supposedly happens when a black person works hard. There are millions of us. We are not far and few."
He added: "We have to fight against the odds of a racist system stacked against us and designed for us to fail from before we are even born. Black people have been playing on an uneven field for far too long and this pledge is a continuation in the fight to finally try and even it."
Stormzy and #Merky encourage others to join the movement in any way that they can. So far, the details on his own commitment remain unclear, but the artist promises to share more information in the near future.
Stormzy's pledge arrives after ongoing protests against racism and police brutality rocked the world following the death of George Floyd after a violent encounter with Minneapolis police.
Late last year, Stormzy released his sophomore record, the politically-inclined Heavy Is the Head.
Alongside his record label, #Merky, the grime vet has promised to safeguard people in the Black British community while also uplifting their voices.
"The uncomfortable truth that our country continuously fails to recognise and admit is that black people in the U.K. have been at a constant disadvantage in every aspect of life — simply due to the colour of our skin," the artist wrote in a release.
"I'm lucky enough to be in the position I'm in and I've heard people often dismiss the idea of racism existing in Britain by saying, 'If the country's so racist how have you become a success?!'" Stormzy continued. "And I reject that with this: I am not the U.K.'s shining example of what supposedly happens when a black person works hard. There are millions of us. We are not far and few."
He added: "We have to fight against the odds of a racist system stacked against us and designed for us to fail from before we are even born. Black people have been playing on an uneven field for far too long and this pledge is a continuation in the fight to finally try and even it."
Stormzy and #Merky encourage others to join the movement in any way that they can. So far, the details on his own commitment remain unclear, but the artist promises to share more information in the near future.
Stormzy's pledge arrives after ongoing protests against racism and police brutality rocked the world following the death of George Floyd after a violent encounter with Minneapolis police.
Late last year, Stormzy released his sophomore record, the politically-inclined Heavy Is the Head.
