Vanessa Bryant, the widow of the late Los Angeles Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant, finds herself entangled in a pointless controversy over accusations of being racially biased towards the black community, all courtesy of prominent internet personality Dr. Umar Johnson.
Dr. Umar is an American activist, social media personality and school psychologist. He seems to be a very controversial figure; he identifies himself as a pan-Africanist who condemns homosexuality and interracial marriage.
Vanessa Bryant accused of racism over handling of Kobe’s $600M state
This accusation originated from Dr. Umar Johnson, who is a notable internet personality known for addressing issues facing the black community.
In a recent appearance on the “Joe Budden Podcast,” Dr. Umar accused Vanessa Bryant of favoring white people over black people, emphasizing that she has not utilized Kobe Bryant’s wealth to benefit the black community.
The criticism was greatly magnified when Dr. Umar pointed out Vanessa’s announcement of the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation‘s partnership initiative with “three predominantly white colleges.”
He mentioned, “Vanessa Bryant just started an initiative with three predominantly white colleges, some sort of sports initiative, with Kobe’s money and Kobe’s name. Didn’t choose a single HBCU with a Black man’s money.”
He continued to argue that despite Kobe’s immense inherited wealth, Vanessa had chosen to collaborate with predominantly white institutions for the sports initiative.
“Vanessa inherited his (Kobe Bryant’s) wealth. Is Vanessa Bryant using any of that black man’s money to do any good in the black community? Absof*ckinglutely not.” Dr. Umar said.
Jamal Crawford steps up to defend Vanessa
With the internet and fans getting into a defensive mode for Vanessa Bryant’s position, an NBA veteran, Jamal Crawford, also came to the defense following the unnecessarily nonessential allegations made by Dr. Umar Johnson.
Crawford took it to Twitter to express his support for Vanessa by dismissing Umar’s allegations, highlighting Vanessa’s impactful philanthropic work and stating, “Umar is tripping. VB does more for this and future generations than most. Whether you can see it or not, everything isn’t for cameras… What I’ve learned in life is ‘those who do, do. Those who don’t, talk about those that do. Keep ‘doing’ “
Crawford’s defense emphasizes Vanessa’s significant contributions and her greater involvement in the Mamba and Mambacita Foundation, where she donated a substantial $16 million settlement to support the young athletes.
And regardless of maintaining a relatively low profile in her charitable efforts, Vanessa has actively contributed to various causes, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, something that isn’t famously publicized.
In addition to all such contributions, Venessa Bryant also created a Halo Series that honor’s the late Kobe Bryant’s birthday every year. This undoubtedly serves as a very thoughtful tribute and an entirely next level of appreciation to Kobe’s contributions to the society as a whole.
Do you find Dr. Umar’s accusations to also be “delusional”? Let us know what you think in the comments down below!
