Jay Z and Meek Mill Reform Alliance is received a 10 million dollar donation from Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey. The non for profit organization was co-founded by Meek Mill, Michael Rubin and Jay-Z.
The funds were donated as part of Dorsey’s #startsmall initiative, will go toward boosting COVID-19 relief efforts in U.S. prisons and will deliver personal protective equipment (PPE) to prison and jail facilities across the nation.
“I’m grateful Reform exists,” Dorsey said in a statement. “The criminal justice system needs to change. COVID-19 adds to the injustices, and Reform is best suited to help.”
“This generous donation from Jack and #startsmall is an absolute game-changer,” Reform Alliance CEO Van Jones said. “Not only will this gift help us protect millions from the threat of COVID-19, but this level of support from a tech titan marks a turning point for the criminal justice reform movement. It’s truly an honor to call Jack an ally in this fight, be able to provide masks to every prison in America and potentially save tens of thousands of lives.”
Rolling Stones reported that the reform will purchase more than 10 million masks with the donation along with other PPE. The mask will be distributed to prisons across 50 states. As of Monday, eight out of the ten COVID-19 “hotspots” in the United States are contained within U.S. prisons, with the largest cluster of the virus found at Marion Correctional Institution in Marion, Ohio, where 2,197 inmates — over 80% of the prison’s population — are infected.
