Meek Mill's REFORM Alliance raises $20 million to continue probation reform efforts

Seven years ago, rapper Meek Mill was released from prison following an outcry that turned into a social movement around probation and parole reform.

Seven years ago, rapper Meek Mill was released from prison following an outcry that turned into a social movement around probation and parole reform. Now he’s the face of REFORM Alliance, a nonprofit he co-founded alongside his friends Jay-Z and Fanatics CEO and founder, Michael Rubin.

“I never thought I would become like the face of reform,” Mill told NBC News on Saturday ahead of the nonprofit’s fundraiser at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City. “I come from the other side of America. We always talk about it, but just climbing through poverty, climbing through being sent in and out of prison.”

Since his release from prison in 2018, Mill has been focused on changing laws around probation and parole.

Mill, Jay-Z and Rubin brought together some of the biggest names in Hollywood Saturday to raise awareness and money for their mission at their second Casino Night: Beyoncé, DJ Khaled, Machine Gun Kelly, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Kevin Hart, Ivanka Trump, Cameron Diaz, and even a performance by The Weeknd. Following a live auction and a blackjack tournament, the celebrities raised more than $20 million.

Cameron Diaz at the Michael Rubin REFORM Alliance Casino Night Event in Atlantic City.Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for REFORM AllianceThe funds will be used toward promoting the passage of legislation across the country to reform overly restrictive probation and parole laws. To date, the organization has helped pass 22 laws in 12 states.