400k raised on GoFundMe page for Alton Sterling’s children

TheAdvocate

An online fundraising website page set up for the children of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old Baton Rouge man who was fatally wounded by Baton Rouge police officers this week, has collected more than $400,000 in one day.

A GoFundMe.com page was set up Wednesday by Issa Rae, a YouTube celebrity who has advocated for more entertainment roles for black women.


“If you feel helpless, but want to play a small part in easing the burden of #AltonSterling’s family, consider donating to this scholarship fund for his 15-year-old son (and his other kids),” Rae wrote.

She said all funds raised would go to Sterling’s family.

After one single day, as of early afternoon on Thursday, more than 13,800 people donated to the fund for a total of $402,000.




According to the update, the site raised $100,000 in just the first six hours.

Rae set a goal of reaching $200,000, which she said could provide $40,000 per child to go to college.

The shooting of Sterling, a black man, by police officers, was caught on cell phone video, prompting a Department of Justice investigation into whether the shooting was justified.


Rae created a webseries called “Awkward Black Girl,” which aired on YouTube.com beginning in 2011. She also has a comedy series she will star in called “Insecure” that will air later this year on HBO.

On Thursday, after news of another police shooting of a black man in Minnesota named Philando Castile, Rae set up a fundraising page which has raised $18,800 in the first 13 hours.