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Chance The Rapper Donates $1 Million To Chicago Public Schools

Chance The Rapper continues to be the true definition of hero, today announcing a $1 million donation to Chicago Public Schools.

The news follows a meeting between the Chicago-born rapper and Illinois governor Bruce Rauner, which was initially arranged when Chance wanted to meet with Rauner to discuss the vetoing of a bill which that have brought $215 million into Chicago Public Schools, which he called, “an important compromise on behalf of the schools and the students across the state.”

Unfortunately the meeting doesn’t seem to have gone as smoothly as Chance had hoped, with Rauner largely ignoring Chance’s insistence that the public school system needs additional funding.

Chance then visited Wescott Elementary School in Chicago, where he held a press conference about the school system, and the announcement that he plans to donate $1 million to the public school system so that he can help them directly.

The press conference begins with Chance talking about his meeting with the governor, noting that although they spoke again over the weekend, but he was still unsatisfied with his answers. He spoke about how funding had been cut for teachers in Chicago, even though they were rising in other areas of Illinois, even pointing out that Chicago will be forced to end the school year 13 days early, which means that “over 380,000 kids will not have adult-supervised activities in June and could possibly be put in harm’s way.”

Considering the money Chance is earning as an independent artist, he decided to take matters into his own hands, announcing that the million dollar donation is coming through ticket sales as a joint effort with his concert promoters, including Live Nation and Ticketmaster.

He also encouraged others to donate (you can do that here), and announced that his not-for-profit organisation Chance’s Social Works will add an extra $10,000 for every $100,000 in donations. This begins with the $1 million, meaning an additional ten schools are already receiving $10k – the first being Wescott Elementary.

Chance further stressed the need for others to help look after kids in Chicago Public Schools. “This isn’t about politics,” he said. “This isn’t about posturing… It’s constantly talked about. But we’re about to enhance the conversation. As a private citizen, as a parent and as a product of CPS, I’m asking that you guys join and fight with me, organise with me, mobilise with me, for the interest of the children of Chicago. This is the very beginning.”

Watch the full press conference below:

Image: Timothy Hiatt/Getty