Meek Mill isn’t only fighting to improve the criminal justice system, he’s also helping students in Philadelphia start the new school year off right.
The rapper teamed up with Puma, United Legwear, the sports apparel brand Fanatics and the high end fashion store Milano Di Rogue, and he’ll give away 6,000 backpacks throughout 12 schools in the city.
The backpacks will be given to elementary, middle and high school students, who will also get a number of school supplies like rulers, notebooks and pens. The younger ones will be given more age-appropriate items like crayons, pencil sharpeners and glue sticks.
In a recent statement, Meek said that he empathizes with those families who don’t have enough to purchase necessities for the new school year, and it motivates him to do all he can.
“Growing up in Philly, I’ve watched families struggle to make ends meet and buy basic school supplies for their kids,” he explained. “Those memories stay with me, and that’s why I’m committed to giving back to families in my hometown, putting smiles on kids’ faces and helping them start the school year on the right note with the right supplies.”
And on Wednesday (Aug. 29), Meek dropped by his alma mater James G. Blaine Elementary School to give students the backpacks personally, and he also spoke.
Currently, the 31-year-old is out on bail for a probation violation that stems from a 2008 drug conviction, and he’s gotten heavy support from politicians, celebrities and everyday citizens alike.
The Judge in the case Genece Brinkley has been criticized as well and accused of having a personal vendetta against Meek. Especially since the original arrest was handled by an officer who was later deemed corrupt.
In a recent interview, Meek said although he’s now free, it feels like he can go back to prison at anytime.
“I always worry about that every day,” he told the publication Philly. “And I don’t like living like that … Being somebody who pays a lot of taxes, somebody who employs people, who takes care of their family … Why me? Why do I have to be the person caught up in the middle of this?”
He also touched on the work he’s been doing to improve the criminal justice system, and how he’s trying to break his family’s pattern of poverty and dysfunction.
“My whole goal is just to not commit crimes and not go to jail,” said Meek. “I don’t want to be looked at like a perfect person. I want to change the world, make a lot of money, feed my family and change the way my bloodline was raised.”
“Because my bloodline was raised in poverty,” he added. “People dropping out of school, nobody really going to college, nobody owning their house. I want to change that … Right now, I have to move perfectly because if I make a mistake, everybody’s going to move against me. ‘Aw, he made a mistake, send him back to jail.'”
