Words by Smiley Team
The Black Lives Matter protests in response to the killing of George Floyd among numerous others, prompted public outrage and spurred many corporations to tackle racial inequalities. Joining them by building on their commitment to channel $40 million to causes supporting Black people in the US, Nike has announced a partnership with Black Girl Ventures (BGV), an organisation improving economic opportunities for Black women.
The $500,000 investment from Nike will help BGV provide Black and Brown women-identifying founders access communities, capital and capacity-building tools.
Founder and CEO of BGV Shelly Bell said: “Nike’s funding will help us grow our reach through new chapter development, increase our technology infrastructure to better serve Black and Brown leaders through our proprietary crowdfunding platform and increase our brand visibility through storytelling campaigns curated by Black and Brown women.”
The contribution builds on the multinational’s commitments to Black Girls CODE, an initiative to teach young black women IT skills; as well as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s empowerment programmes and Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a legal organisation fighting for racial justice in the US.
In 2021 Nike intends to expand its focus to local investments that drive positive change for the Black community. Starting this year, their Black Community Commitment will contribute to grants totalling $1.75 million to organizations working on behalf of Black communities in seven US cities: Boston, Memphis, St. Louis, Portland, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City.
Nike’s important efforts in the fight for social justice should be an example for others to follow.
“Business has the transformative power to change and contribute to a more open, diverse and inclusive society. We can only accomplish this by starting from within our organizations,” wrote Vijay Eswaran, executive chairman of QI Group, a World Economic Forum Partner and marketing company dedicated to social and environmental sustainability.
You too can encourage your employer or business to support organisations like Black Girl Ventures. To help further this particular cause and provide valuable resources and services for Black women entrepreneurs, you can contribute via their donations page.
For more information visit the Black Girl Ventures website or email [email protected].
