Robert Kraft at Hard Rock Stadium in 2022.Photo:Michael Reaves/Getty
Michael Reaves/Getty
It’s been nearly one year sinceRobert Kraftannounced hisFoundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS), and now the New England Patriots owner is reflecting on the work his foundation has done.
Kraft, 82, initially invested $25 million into the multi-faceted campaign fighting antisemitism.
Earlier this month, FCAS ran a commercial during the 2024 Super Bowl featuring Dr. Clarence B. Jones, famously known for his speech writing work withMartin Luther King Jr.
The 30-second spot from FCAS opens with Jones, 82, saying, “Sometimes I imagine what I’d write today for my dear friend Martin. I’d remind people that all hate thrives on one thing — silence,” and goes on to encourage viewers to “speak out” against all forms of hate.
Jones' participation in the spot meant a great deal to Kraft, the NFL owner tells PEOPLE. “I’ve always admired Martin Luther King Jr. as a man. I love people who can capture people when they speak, and he had a way of speaking that was just very special. He could connect with people.”
Kraft continues, “And then Dr. Jones was his consigliere, his speech writer, and is a man of great depth and a lover of mankind. I had the privilege of spending three and a half hours with him in a private setting.”
“We need more people like Martin Luther King and Clarence Jones, people who are open to every way that people think, good people who are bridge-builders,” Kraft says. “There is so much hate going on in the world. When we’re born, no one is born with hate. It’s learned and taught, and we’ve got to stop it.”
Last Spring, Kraft and his wife,Dana Blumberg, led the March of the Living in Poland, where 20,000 people walked between the remnants of concentration camps there.
Meek Mill and Robert Kraft.Kevin Mazur/Getty
The foundation conducted a study with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to better understand how Americans are educated through media.
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“We raised from 20% of the population to 40%, that they had to stand up and not be silent, and look to help their brothers or sisters in need. But there’s still a long way to go.”
Beyond combatting hate, Kraft says a major goal of this initiative is “about education” of Americans. “Social media has become such a powerful tool and weapon that young people aren’t getting the straight facts, because there’s so many falsehoods on social media and it has such wide coverage.”
source: people.com
