Tsais emphasize ‘We Belong Here’ theme in Social Justice Fund efforts

Joe and Clara Wu Tsai are initiating a social media campaign to encourage an increased sense of belonging. Their Social Justice Fund will use the “You Belong Here/We Belong Here” neon sculptures by Tavares Strachan outside Barclays Center as its touch stone.

The Social Justice Fund for Brooklyn, financed with a five-year $50 million commitment from the Tsais’ charitable foundation, will utilize the #YouBelongHere hashtag and the sculptures to raise funds for the initiatives it’s backing in the borough. (The $50 million is atop the $10 million commitment each NBA owner agreed to provide following the murder of George Floyd and the resulting protests two years ago.)

“[W]e are encouraging people to share their stories of belonging on social media using the hashtag #YouBelongHere. For every use of the hashtag, the Social Justice Fund will be donating $100 to one of five nonprofit organizations (up to $20,000 per organization) working towards racial justice and creating a more equitable society in Brooklyn and beyond.

While the stories of belonging can be tweeted from anywhere, the Tsais are asking New Yorkers to use the neon sculptures as a backdrop: “Take a picture or video of yourself in front of the ‘You Belong Here/We Belong Here’ art installation atop the Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center Station complex.”

The art was installed last October. At the time, Clara Wu Tsai spoke with Bloomberg News about the role of the Social Justice Fund and “belonging.”

“I’ve always been interested in the ideas of belonging. That really resonates with me,” said Wu Tsai, co-owner of the Nets and Liberty. “Even before George Floyd, I thought it was the perfect statement to put there, in the heart of Brooklyn.”

Wu Tsai and Strachan also spoke about belonging in a video produced by the Fund...

Belonging is also a theme of the Foundation’s Social Justice Fund whose aims include “support equitable growth and belonging for BIPOC Communities in Brooklyn.”

• Social Justice Fund’s #YouBelongHere Campaign - The Social Justice Fund