Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds donate $280,000 to fight racial bias

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds (both above) announced on Instagram that they have donated $280,000 to the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People Legal Defence Fund.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds (both above) announced on Instagram that they have donated $280,000 to the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People Legal Defence Fund. PHOTO: RYAN REYNOLDS/TWITTER

As protests in the United States against police brutality, especially against African-American citizens, intensify, celebrities have been doing their part in supporting the cause and using their platforms to increase awareness.

On Sunday, celebrity couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds took to Instagram to announce they have donated US$200,000 (S$280,000) to the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People Legal Defence Fund.

The couple reflected on the everyday effects of institutional racism, both in the United States and beyond. They emphasised the importance of self-education and awareness, especially for those in positions of privilege and pledged to be allies.

That included, they said, a commitment to "stay educated and vote in every local election", and to "play a part in easing pain for so many who feel as though this grand experiment is failing them".

On privilege, the couple said: "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 kind of fear and anger. We're ashamed that in the past we've allowed ourselves to be uninformed about how deeply rooted systemic racism is."

They concluded their message by saying that they wanted to use their "privilege and platform to be an ally".

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 03, 2020, with the headline Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds donate $280,000 to fight racial bias. Subscribe