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The Weeknd has donated $500,000 to a number of organisations that are committed to racial equality and asked his fans to “please give what you can” to similar important causes.
The Toronto artist’s big donations come in the wake of the mass protests which have been held across the US and the world over the past week following the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis last week (May 25).
Posting on Instagram late on Monday (June 1), The Weeknd shared a series of receipts of major donations that he has made to the Black Lives Matter Global Network ($200,000), Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp Legal Defense initiative ($200,000) and National Bail Out ($100,000).
In the accompanying caption, The Weeknd urged his fans and followers to “keep supporting our brothers and sisters out there risking everything to push for actual change for our black lives”.
“Urging everyone with big pockets to give and give big and if you have less please give what you can even if it’s a small amount.”
Yesterday (June 2) saw The Weeknd call on his “respected industry partners and execs”, including Universal Music Group, Spotify and Apple Music, to publicly declare their donations to similar causes.
To my fellow respected industry partners and execs- no one profits off of black music more than the labels and streaming services. I gave yesterday and I urge you to go big and public with yours this week. It would mean the world to me and the community if you can join us pic.twitter.com/tWzHMacnu5
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) June 2, 2020
“No one profits off of black music more than the labels and streaming services,” he wrote. “I gave yesterday and I urge you to go big and public with yours this week.
“It would mean the world to me and the community if you can join us.”
Yesterday also saw Jay-Z and his entertainment company Roc Nation take out full-page adverts in newspapers across the US dedicated to the memory of George Floyd.
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