Former UNI Defensive Back Raises $14,000 for Minneapolis Businesses After Death of George Floyd 

By Ellie Lieberman

After the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a national uprising sparked massive donations to heralded nonprofits in the Twin Cities area. Certain nonprofits like the Minnesota Freedom Fund received so many donations, for them $30 million, that they had to direct their funds to other highly deserving landing spots. On the contrary, small businesses, especially those burned and looted on Lake Street were suffering.  

That’s where former Northern Iowa defensive back Charles “Jamison” Whiting comes into play. 

Whiting, currently a third-year law student at the University of California in Irvine, walked down Lake Street both during the peaceful protests, and drove by several times as well , and knew that action needed to be taken. He had grown up just blocks away from the grocery store where George Floyd was killed.  

“Here with this video of George Floyd, I think that which is the fortunate part of an unfortunate situation, everyone knew that this was wrong whether you’re left, right or middle; this was not ok,” Whiting said. “How could another human being do this to another human life?”

With the inspiration of his girlfriend, Kelly Law, a former volleyball player for the University of South Dakota, who was offering matching donations on her Instagram to affected local businesses, the couple set up a Go Fund Me for affected local small businesses that fell under the national radar. Law and Whiting’s friends sprinkled throughout the Midwest and beyond who couldn’t be in the Twin Cities, were excited to take part, dozens texted them, and wanted to ensure that local enterprises were able to rebuild. Initially, the two set out with a goal of raising $100 or $200 for a few places, but in a span of a week, they raised $14,000, and donated $1,000 to 14 different local businesses and nonprofits.

“It was a very powerful moment for Minneapolis,” Whiting said. “There is this want for change and a want to be better.”

One of the most rewarding aspects of the process was getting to know local business owners that benefit from the money raised. Whiting recalls a conversation with a local jeweler who he and Law had gotten to know. After several conversations, they were certain he would utilize the money effectively, but the jeweler insisted that the donation go to another different jewelry store that could benefit more from their backing.  

Not only were Whiting and Law met with generosity when donating to their recipients, but they’ve contributed to something much larger than a one-time check. The two laid a hand in repairing many enterprises that are central to the fabric of the city. Among those receiving checks were local barbershops, a family-owned shoe store around for decades, and a nonprofit art and design center catered towards empowering youth.  

Whiting plans to continue his fiery activism after graduating law school by practicing in the realm of politics and social justice. Whiting Whiting will not only be a seasoned changemaker, but one with a wealth of experience as a congressional intern for the House of Representatives, but a variety of global law firms. His involvement in the Minneapolis rebuild just the beginning of the athlete-activist era, and he believes that current and former athletes in the Missouri Valley Conference in particular have untapped potential because of a ripeness to talk about racial inequality openly for the first time in America.  

“The politics are different than on the East Coast or West Coast, but I think that now those politics have sort of fallen to the wayside in the hope for human decency,” Whiting said. “[Athletes should] have those conversations with people that disagree with them or don’t think this is an important issue.”

Whiting’s advice will ring loud and true, from Minneapolis to Cedar Falls, and everywhere in between. And keep the name Jamison Whiting on the brain. It won’t be the last you hear from him.