Charles Barkley made headlines on Thursday with a $1 million pledge to Black women in Alabama, and a caveat that got people talking.
Speaking on NBA on TNT, the Hall of Famer weighed in on Doug Jones winning the Alabama Senate special election over Republican Roy Moore, who had been accused of sexual misconduct involving teenagers decades earlier and denied the allegations. According to exit polls, Black voters, and Black women in particular, turned out in overwhelming numbers for Jones. Barkley, who had supported Jones, said he wanted to say thank you.
“I’m pledging $1 million to Black women in Alabama to do startups, that does not mean hair salons and restaurants black women, that means startups.”
When asked about the comment, Barkley said the money is meant for IT startups. The remark about salons and restaurants drew pushback online from people who felt it overlooked businesses Black women already run, while others focused on the size of the pledge itself.
Where do you land on this one?
