Pokemon Donates $200,000 to Black Lives Matter and NAACP

The Pokemon Company has pledged $200,000 in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and the NAACP. Earlier today, the Pokemon Company posted a brief statement on its US Twitter account stating its support of its Black employees, Black fans and families, and the Black Lives Matter movement. The company also pledged $100,000 to Black Lives Matter and an additional $100,000 to the NAACP. In its statement, the Pokemon Company noted that friendship, inclusivity, and equity are the values that anchor the Pokemon brand, and that there was no place for oppression within the Pokemon community.

In addition to the Pokemon Company’s direct donations, Pokemon Go developer Niantic pledged that all of its proceeds from the upcoming Pokemon Go Fest, with a minimum pledge of $5 million, will be donated to Black game creators and non-profit organizations.

The Pokemon Company and many others have made these statements in response to worldwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd over Memorial Day weekend. Floyd, a Black man from Minneapolis, died after a police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes despite Floyd’s pleas for help. That police officer, Derek Chauvin, was arrested for third-degree murder and manslaughter murder days after video showing Floyd’s death was posted onto the Internet and led to the beginning of the current protests. Chauvin’s charges were increased to second-degree murder by the Minnesota Attorney General earlier today, and three other officers present at Floyd’s death were charged with aiding and abetting murder. The protests have also focused both on continued systemic racism in both the United States and other countries, as well as police brutality that disproportionately impacts Black communities.

You can read the Pokemon Company’s full statement below.