Along with donating $1 million to fighting systematic racial inequality, Riot Games has also taken a pledge in investing $10 million towards funding minority-owned gaming companies and franchises. The $1 million will go towards Riot’s Social Impact Fund, which will then be distributed towards The Innocence Project and the American Civil Liberties Union. On top of that, Riot Games will also be establishing a new partnership with Flordia A&M (a Historically Black University) and work on funding scholarships through the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. Finally, they will also be investing in other educational programs like Girls Who Code and Urban TxT.
In a letter released towards the employees of Riot Games, president Dylan Jadeja said that in these emotional and challenging times, “the murder of yet another unarmed Black man has ignited a national outcry for justice, not only for George Floyd but countless others in the Black community that are dying at the hands of a system they are supposed to be able to trust.” In that same letter, he revealed that he will be putting aside $10 million towards “investments and startup programs focused on founders underrepresented in the games community.”
Riot is not the only company and franchise to show their support towards the Black Lives Matter movement, as many others are showing their support and solidarity in order to bring awareness. Games like Call of Duty and NBA 2k20 are showing awareness about the movement and systematic inequality through their widespread audience, and even big names like Sony have delayed the programs showcasing their newest console in order to prevent social talk to move away from those that are facing injustice. At the same time, Electronic Arts announced that they will be donating $1 million towards “organizations dedicated towards racial injustice in the US and against discrimination around the world”, along with Humble who announced that they will also be dedicating $1 million towards black developers.