Many cities throughout the United States have been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic, including Detroit. A report showed that Wayne County has had nearly 20,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Songstress and mogul Rihanna has teamed up with rapper Big Sean to provide relief for underserved communities that have been significantly impacted by the health crisis, Revolt reported.
Through their nonprofits—the Clara Lionel Foundation and Big Sean’s Sean Anderson Foundation—the two music artists joined forces with the David Rockefeller Fund and Lyft to donate $3.2 million to relief projects in Detroit and Flint. The donation was a part of Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey’s philanthropic #startsmall initiative. The money will be distributed among community-based organizations who are spearheading initiatives centered on food insecurity, homelessness, criminal justice reform and social services. Some of the organizations include the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, Flint Metro Community Development, My Brother’s Keeper, The Bail Project and the YWCA Safe House.
“We continue to see an urgent need for rapid-response efforts to ensure cities don’t lose the opportunity to gain ground against this outbreak as existing issues are being dramatically exacerbated by this pandemic,” Clara Lionel Foundation Executive Director Justine Lucas said in a statement. “We need specific, actionable solutions to fill critical gaps for the most vulnerable. If we are to succeed in protecting the health and wellbeing of as many people as possible—which we must—we all must get involved.”
Big Sean has participated in several COVID-19 relief efforts. In April, his nonprofit raised over $300,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan through a virtual fundraiser. He is also hosting an online event dubbed “Everybody VS COVID-19 Unity Festival” to raise money for coronavirus initiatives and spread awareness about the census.
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