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Stormzy has issued a statement of intent in the continued fight against racial inequality via his label #Merky.
The statement comes as the conversation around racism, white privilege, police reform and inequality grows in the wake of widespread Black Lives Matter protests around the world.
The grime star has pledged to donate £10 million over 10 years to “organisations, charities and movements that are committed to fighting racial inequality, justice reform and Black empowerment within the UK”. He added that, despite the 10-year timeframe set out, this action will form part of a “lifetime commitment” to supporting these causes, both financially and otherwise.
“The uncomfortable truth that our country continuously fails to recognise and admit is that Black people in the UK have been at a constant disadvantage in every aspect of life – simply due to the colour of our skin,” Stormzy wrote.
“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?!’ And I reject that with this: I am not the UK’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 continued: “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.”
Although specific details about Stormzy’s pledge have yet to be revealed, the statement promises additional information will be shared soon. It also encourages others in joining them in the pledge.
In February, the MC hit out at the British government, saying every iteration of it had “let Black people down”. “Since when I’ve been young, whether it’s been a Labour government or a Tory government, not much has changed for the people who need it the most,” he said.
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