Stormzy pledges ‘lifetime commitment’ to anti-racism and will donate £10m to black British causes

'Black people have been playing on an uneven field for far too long,' said the rapper

Stormzy has pledged to donate £10m, over the next decade, to organisations, charities and movements tackling racial inequality, justice reform and black empowerment in the UK.

In a statement, the grime artist said: “The uncomfortable truth that our country continuously fails to recognise and admit, is that black people in the UK have been at a constant disadvantage in every aspect of life – simply due to the colour of our skin.

“I’m lucky enough to be in the position I’m in and I’ve heard people often dismiss the idea of racism existing in Britain by saying ‘If the country’s so racist how have you become a success?!’ and I reject that with this: I am not the UK’s shining example of what supposedly happens when a black person works hard.

“There are millions of us. We are not far and few. We have to fight against the odds of a racist system stacked against us and designed for us to fail from before we are even born.

“Black people have been playing on an uneven field for far too long and this pledge is a continuation in the fight to finally try and even it.”

News of the donation, which comes from him and his book imprint #Merky, arrives amid Black Lives Matter protests across the world in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

Stormzy's move follows Harry Styles's commitment to donate to a bail fund for arrested activists. Other stars to offer statements of support include Lizzo, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Lorde and Nick Cannon.