MLB commits over $1 million to organizations in support of Black Lives Matter

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Major League Baseball is committing itself to support the Black Lives Matter movement.

MLB Network's Greg Amsinger revealed during coverage of the MLB draft Wednesday the head baseball operations official of each club is personally donating to groups supporting Black Lives Matter: the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Equal Justice Initiative, Color of Change, Campaign Zero and the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

MLB, its 30 clubs and owners are also making donations to benefit those organizations.

The man behind MLB's initiative? According to MLB Network's Harold Reynolds, it's Cubs president Theo Epstein. 

"I talked to [White Sox vice president] Kenny Williams first and he said Theo is driving the boat on this," Reynolds said Wednesday. "He doesn't take a lot of credit for it, but Theo, you ought to be commended."

Reynolds said Epstein rode his bike to a rally in Chicago last Thursday and "was so impressed with this generation of young people," protesting against racial injustice. 

"Theo said he could not figure out how to get to sleep," Reynolds said. "It was on his mind so much, that there was change he could do and start. He started contacting all the different friends that he has and it morphed to all 30 major league teams that he was able to reach the GMs and come up with this idea to really start to implement change."

Epstein offered sincere thoughts about racial inequality in a conference call Monday. He said he needs to "look inward" and question his own assumptions and decision making, adding everyone must take action to eliminate systemic racism.

MORE: Cubs’ Theo Epstein vows to ‘look inward’ for solutions to MLB's systemic racism

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