Astros' Justin Verlander, Kate Upton Donate To NAACP Legal Defense Fund For Racial Justice

(SportsRadio 610) -- Fed up with systemic racism and disparities, Astros pitcher Justin Verlander and his wife, Kate Upton, announced a donation to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

On Instagram, Upton said enough is enough, and stressed the importance of making structural changes to expand democracy and eliminating disparities through litigation, advocacy and public education.

Upton acknowledged how not understanding white privilege can perpetuate the awful cycle of systemic racism, even for those with pure hearts and intentions.

"I've realized that since I can't draw on my own personal experiences, which no white person can, that taking the time to educate myself has been invaluable," Upton's post said. "I urge you to also listen to the experiences of others... research, read books, join lectures, take a virtual class, or utilize the millions of online resources that exist."

Justin and I are proud to donate to the @naacp_ldf. They're an organization that strives for racial justice by working to make structural changes to expand democracy and eliminate disparities through litigation, advocacy and public education. Taking the time to educate myself has been extremely enlightening and eye opening. Realizing that although many hearts are pure, the lack of understanding of white privilege is what continues to perpetuate this awful cycle of systemic racism. I've realized that since I can't draw on my own personal experiences, which no white person can, that taking the time to educate myself has been invaluable. I urge you to also listen to the experiences of others… research, read books, join lectures, take a virtual class, or utilize the millions of online resources that exist. I listened to a podcast where @rachel.cargle said education + empathy + action = allyship. Every piece of that puzzle is needed. I am committed to taking those steps in my own life, and instilling them in my daughter's life as well, and I hope that by using my platform to help spread the message it can encourage others to do the same. Thank you to the many organizations that are committed to advocating for change and the @naacp_ldf for all that you're doing on a daily basis. #enoughisenough

A post shared by Kate Upton (@kateupton) on Jun 5, 2020 at 10:48am PDT

This is the latest effort by Verlander and Upton to reach out to communities. In April, Verlander announced intentions to donate all of his paychecks during the COVID-19 pandemic to charity each week. 

While there is some uncertainty whether there will be a Major League Baseball season in 2020, Verlander and Upton are still anteing up for worthy causes. 

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