Dear Donald Sterling,

I am a young African American woman who has been disturbed by the comments you’ve made.

I’m not writing this to address the recording that was released a couple of weeks ago, nor I am writing to address the subsequent releases of your phone conversations. I hear foolishness like your comments at least once a week; and to be frank, comments like yours coming from someone like you isn’t a far-fetched idea, considering the fact that you were born in the 1930s – a time that was less than progressive, to say the least. Blacks weren’t even afforded the right to vote until you were in your thirties, but I digress.

I’m not concerned with whether or not you’re a racist. My concern started after I watched your interview with Anderson Cooper. During your miserably failed attempt at damage control, you were reaching for anything that would justify what you said. In your reaching, you slandered a good man by using false claims, so I’m writing to correct your wrong statements about Magic Johnson and to show whoever may have been unfortunately led to believe your misguided comments what’s actually true.

“What has he done? Can you tell me? Big Magic Johnson. What has he done?” you asked.

Let’s see.

Remember those things called the Magic Johnson Theatres? You know, the many theatres he opened in urban communities across the country? Let’s not forget that time when he had over 100 Starbucks locations in urban cities across the United States.

What about the Friends of Magic initiative? You know, just that thing that was curated to help at-risk students, including dropouts, graduate from high school. I take it you’ve never heard of the Magic Johnson Bridgescape Academy either. Bridgescape gives dropouts and potential dropouts a free alternative to earn a high school diploma in an environment that caters to their schedules, life circumstances, and learning needs.

Did you forget about his HIV/AIDS initiatives? The Magic Johnson Foundation has an HIV/AIDS education and prevention program, including E.R.A.S.E (Empowering and Reinforcing Awareness of Students through Education) Youth Summits that take place in schools that are located in communities with high HIV prevalence. That’s a nation-wide thing, by the way. His foundation also has a Community Grants Program that helps non-profit organizations and their efforts to provide HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, and treatment services to urban communities. We also shouldn’t overlook the fact that MJF hosts a series of HIV/AIDS testing events every year.

The Foundation also has Community Empowerment Centers that give children and adults in ethnically diverse urban communities access to computers and the training needed to compete in today’s technology-dependent world.

My personal favorite is the Taylor Michaels Scholarship Program, probably because I personally benefit from it. In 1998, Magic Johnson, with his foundation, founded the Taylor Michaels Scholarship Program. The program seeks to help socioeconomically challenged minority students from the Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Detroit, Lansing, Chicago, Cleveland, and Atlanta metro areas. The scholars are not only African Americans, but Latinos, Asians, Middle Easterners, and Indians. TMSP provides $2,000-$5,000 annual scholarships that are renewable up to 5 years, an annual Leadership Conference in Los Angeles, laptops, counseling, and access to internships and mentors. Over $3.8million has been given to the hundreds of scholars this program has nurtured, including me.

I’ve only listed a few of the many, many things Magic Johnson has done to better Urban America, so to say that Magic Johnson “hasn’t done anything” for minorities is ludacris, don’t you think, Mr. Sterling?

You said, Mr. Sterling, that you “don’t think he’s a good example for the children of Los Angeles.” I obviously disagree. In fact, I think he’s not only a good example for children of Los Angeles, but children of America, children of the world, and people who aren’t even children. Magic Johnson teaches us that we are not limited to our physical capabilities, but should we choose, we can become lucrative businesspeople. He teaches us that a mind is a terrible thing to waste and education is important. More importantly, he teaches us that we all can overcome adversity, whatever the form. Socioeconomic adversity, health adversity, all adversity can be conquered. One of my favorite things that Magic Johnson said is that he “grew up poor, but didn’t have poor dreams.” Magic Johnson has inspired others to pursue their dreams, including the young woman writing this who lives in his hometown of Lansing, Michigan, a city from which not many people have “made it.” Magic Johnson is a beautiful example of someone who has made it, and he works very diligently to better himself and urban communities that are like the one in which he grew up.

“Is that someone we want to respect and tell our kids about?” you asked. I reckon so. I sure do, others do, and I hope you will, too. He deserves it.

Sincerely,