In a recent Instagram post, Bad Robot – the production company owned by Star Wars director J.J. Abrams – pledged to donate as much as $10 million to a variety of civil rights organizations. With the donation, which has been made in the name of Abrams, his wife, and their family foundation, the filmmaker is expressing his solidarity with the protests that have been going on throughout the country in response to the death of George Floyd, a black man who was choked to death by policemen after being apprehended for possessing fake money.
“We at Bad Robot are grateful to the many scholars, activists, organizers and leaders fighting on the frontlines of change in our systemically unjust country. #blacklivesmatter,” Abrams’ company opened the post with, before explaining their plan to donate $200,000 dollars each to organizations such as Black Lives Matter LA, Community Coalition, Black Futures Lab and the Know Your Rights Camp, among others.
Of course, Bad Robot was not alone in this endeavor. Many of its business partners, including Marvel Studios and The Walt Disney Company, as well as video game studios like Bethesda and EA, have all stated their support of the movement. J.J. Abrams and his wife also aren’t the only couple to have pledged monetary support to the black community.
Earlier this week, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds and his partner, actress Blake Lively, announced on Instagram that they would be donating $200,000 dollars to the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund, a law firm which offers financial support and legal advice to civil rights activists. Other celebrities are also joining the fight in the streets, as Being John Malkovich actor John Cusack was harassed by police for filming a burning car in downtown Chicago, while The Flash‘s Kendrick Sampson was shot at with rubber bullets during a protest in LA, where he was joined by pop star Ariana Grande and numerous other prominent Americans.