JPMorgan pledges up to $2 million to fight racism, support human rights

By David Henry

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NEW YORK (Reuters) – JPMorgan Chase & Co said on Monday it will contribute up to $2 million to fight racism and support human rights in light of a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that led to violence and the death of a protester.

The sum includes $500,000 each to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League “to further their work in tracking, exposing and fighting hate groups and other extremist organizations,” Peter Scher, head of corporate responsibility wrote in a memo to employees that was provided to Reuters by the company.

As much as $1 million more will be contributed in two-for-one matches of donations by employees to “a wide range of human and civil rights organizations,” according to the memo.

The bank is also contributing $50,000 to the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation.

Racial conflict in Charlottesville earlier this month was followed by intense political controversy over remarks by President Donald Trump.

Jamie Dimon, chief executive officer of JPMorgan, said he “strongly” disagreed with Trump as he and other CEOs moved to disband an advisory panel to the president.

JPMorgan has reacted to a wide range of traumatic events in the past with contributions and matches of employee donations. The events have included the recent Grenfell Tower apartment fire in London, the 2016 Orlando, Florida, gay nightclub mass shooting, earthquakes and tropical storms.

(Reporting by David Henry in New York; Editing by Lauren Tara LaCapra and Jeffrey Benkoe)