People have come together in a big way to support the family of Alton Sterling, a black man who was killed by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, last Tuesday.
A scholarship fund for Sterling’s children, launched by actress Issa Rae, has raised almost $700,000 in just five days. What’s more, in the first 24 hours, the GoFundMe page had already raised nearly $400,000, according to ABC.
All funds will go to Sterling’s family, to start a college fund for his five children.
“I continue to be inspired by how many concerned, selfless and motivated people have donated to this cause,” reads a recent update on the fund’s page. “We will stand together and we will help our own until we’re able to effectively change this system for the better.”
People across the country are still reeling after a week of violence and national reckoning with racism and police brutality. The killing of Alton Sterling in Louisiana on Tuesday was followed by the police killing of Philando Castile in Minnesota on Wednesday, followed by the killings of five police officers at a protest in Dallas, Texas on Thursday.
In response, people are coming together to show their support for black lives, for police and for racial justice.
People have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the family of Alton Sterling, as well as to the families of Philando Castile and the slain police officers.
What’s more, after more than 100 people were arrested at a Louisiana protest on Saturday, people donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to help bail them out.
On the GoFundMe page for Alton Sterling’s family, Issa Rae calls for people to “spread the word and voice your #EconomicAnger.”
“My mom, upon hearing about this fund, called this new movement a form of #EconomicAnger,” the page reads. “It’s clear that our dollars (whether through boycotting or through united contributions) are sometimes the loudest way to make our voices heard.”
The fundraiser will end on Tuesday night, according to the latest update.
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