This past Friday, singer-songwriter Beyoncé, turned 39 and the world celebrated her. Beyoncé celebrated by honoring small Black business owners and continuing her mission of giving back with her foundation BeyGOOD and partnering with the NAACP.
Beyonce’s foundation, BEYGOOD, is an initiative that was made to support ill children, the homeless, and people who are unemployed in the US and globally. It was created during her Mrs. Carter World tour in 2013 and has helped millions of people around the world. This initiative has helped diverse communities have more access to social and economic resources such as COVID-19 testing centers, bringing more awareness to mental health, voting, and more.
On September 4, 2020 she donated 1 million to help black-owned businesses stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. This is the second round of donations from her “Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund” that was started in July. Throughout the summer, the BEYGOOD foundation awarded several grants to Black businesses affected by the pandemic and protests against police brutality and racial injustice.
Beyonce is the epitome of a humanitarian and activist. Her gift to us goes beyond music. We need more people in this world to follow her example. I have always looked up to her for as long as I can remember, but this is one more reason why she is, and will always, be a queen.