Star Trek Guide

JJ Abrams' Bad Robot Takes a Strong Stand, Donates $10M to Anti-Racism Orgs

The J.J. Abrams-led production company, Bad Robot Productions, released a statement denouncing racism and announced a $10 million donation over the next five years to organizations fighting racial oppression.

"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," the company wrote on Twitter. The donation will be jointly funded by Bad Robot and the Katie McGrath and J.J. Abrams Family Foundation.

So far the following organizations have each received $200,000 donations: Black Futures Lab, Black Lives Matter, Community Coalition, Equal Justice Initiative and Know Your Rights Camp.

Click the button below to start this article in quick view. Start now

The statements come following the death of a George Floyd at the hands of Officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. It is the latest killing of an African-America man by a White police officer. The officer has since been fired, arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Over the weekend, protests erupted across the country, including Minnesota, New York, California, New Jersey, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Washington and Michigan. They have even spread across the globe, with demonstrations being held in London, Berlin and Toronto.

Many state governments have dispatched the national guard to try and keep the protests under control. While many of the protests have remained peaceful, some have fractured into violence and looting. The White House went on partial lockdown on Friday night as a response to the protests.

Bad Robot is the latest media company to make a statement regarding the protests and the systematic racism experienced by African Americans. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon HBO Max and more streamers released statements over the weekend, followed by Marvel Studios, Disney and Star Wars. ViacomCBS also released a chilling tribute to Floyd which lasts 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the same amount of time Floyd was pinned to the ground while a police officer pressed his knee against his neck.

While it did not announce any donations, Disney announced that it will "strengthen our commitment to diversity and inclusion everywhere." The statement was jointly signed by Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Executive Chairman Bob Iger and Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Latondra Newton.

Bad Robot is responsible for the production of Alias, Lost, Fringe, Person of InterestWestworld,Cloverfield, Star Trek, Super 8, Star Trek Into Darkness, Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Star Trek Beyond,The Cloverfield Paradox,Mission: Impossible: Fallout and Overlord.

Source: www.cbr.com