CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE
CELEBRITIES
GIVE BACK
All over the world, celebrities and everyday heroes alike have been carrying the torch for racial equality, attending protests, and making their voices heard. With sizeable platforms and notoriety, celebrities have the power to inspire positive change and lead the calls for equality - and they’re doing just that. From donating to programs created to help BIPOC students succeed, to supporting under-privileged business owners, these celebrity heroes are using their platforms to champion social justice. Adriana M. Barraza/WENN.com
BEYONCE’S
BEYGOOD
FOUNDATION TEAMS UP WITH NAACP TO LAUNCH BLACK-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS IMPACT GRANTS Beyonce Knowles’ BeyGOOD foundation is working with the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) to offer grants of $10,000 to small businesses facing difficulties as a result of COVID-19. The Black-owned Small Business Impact Fund will offer grants of $10,000 to “Black-owned small businesses in select cities to help sustain businesses during this time,” NAACP said. “The NAACP is proud to partner with BeyGOOD to help strengthen small businesses and to ensure economic empowerment for Black businesses,” the Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund’s website description reads. “The challenges of Black business owners navigating in the climate cannot be understated, as the effects of uprisings across the nation have led to many businesses being placed in dire straits due to damages and other small business needs.”
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The Formation icon was recognized for her philanthropy endeavours with this year’s BET Humanitarian Award, which she dedicated to protestors across the country. During her acceptance speech, she encouraged viewers to vote “like our life depends on it” in the upcoming US election, calling on them to “dismantle a racist and unequal system” in the country. “I want to dedicate this award to all of my brothers out there, all of my sisters out there inspiring me, marching and fighting for change,” Beyonce said, referencing the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers. “Your voices are being
heard, and you’re proving to our ancestors that their struggles were not in vain.” Her speech won praise from Barack and Michelle Obama, who applauded her for promoting younger performers and for “calling out sexism and racism when she sees it.” Beyonce wasn’t the only winning member of her family during the BET Awards. Her tune Brown Skin Girl, which features her daughter Blue Ivy Carter, took home the BET Her Award making the eight-year-old the youngestever BET Award winner.
