Stormzy has remained true to his word of “beginning of a lifetime commitment” in fighting racism and supporting black people in the UK with the news he has donated £500,000 – equal to over AU$900,000 – towards providing higher education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The generous donation was made to the The Black Heart Foundation, which was founded by Ric Lewis and aims to cover the cost of cash grants for students who require financial support or scholarship for any educational activity.
The grime star made the donation through his Merky Foundation, with a spokesperson explaining: “The Black Heart Foundation is an incredible charity and we are proud to make them the first beneficiary to receive funding from our £10 million pledge, announced earlier this year.”
“Their Each Day. Every Day campaign is a brilliant initiative and we are elated that our £500,000 donation has played a key part in helping them achieve their target. We encourage others to donate whatever they can to help change a young person’s life.”
Ric Lewis added: “We are grateful to #Merky Foundation and invigorated by their generosity. Their contribution is an amazing testament to their vision and commitment to higher and further education for ambitious, hard-working young people from the most under-resourced and under-represented communities in our society.”
“With their support we will reach another 50 young people, taking the total number of scholars we can help to 250. I want to thank everyone that has donated money so far. The response we have had has been incredible.”
It comes following Stormzy announcing his pledge 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” back in June following backlash sparked as a result of the the death of George Floyd.
“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 at the time.
“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.”
