Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are putting their financial resources toward a cause they are passionate about. Lively and Reynolds took to Instagram on Sunday to address the ongoing protests against police brutality, to share a powerful message about systemic racism, and to reveal that they recently contributed $200,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
The pair -- who shared the same post -- addressed the privilege they have had as parents, explaining, "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."
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"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," the post continued. "We’re ashamed that in the past we’ve allowed ourselves to be uninformed about how deeply rooted systemic racism is."
Lively continued by saying that she and Reynolds "want to educate ourselves about other people's experiences and talk to our kids about everything, all of it… especially our own complicity."
"We are committed to raising our kids so they never grow up feeding this insane pattern and so they'll do their best to never inflict pain on another being consciously or unconsciously," she continued. "It's the least we can do to honor not just George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Eric Garner, but all the black men and women who have been killed when a camera wasn’t rolling."
However, the actress said the pair have also put up their own money with a sizable contribution to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, as they "stand in awe of this organization and its leader, Sherrilyn Ifill."
Lively said the donation is "just a start" and that they "want to use our privilege and platform to be an ally. And play a part in easing pain for so many who feel as though this grand experiment is failing them."
The couple's donation and powerful call to action comes amidst several days of protests across multiple major American cities, sparked by the killing of George Floyd -- a 46-year-old Minneapolis man who died after a police officer held him down by the neck with his knee for more than seven minutes.
Four officers were fired on Tuesday for their roles in the incident, and Derek Chauvin -- who was videotaped holding Floyd down by the neck with his knee -- was taken into custody by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on Friday, Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington stated, per CBS News. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
The incident, along with a string of similar examples of extra-judicial police brutality, sparked protests in a number of major cities across the country, and celebrities have been speaking out about the demonstrations and systemic racism.
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