Beyoncè's Philanthropic Moments Giving Back To The Black Community
Happy 40th Birthday Queen Bey!: Thanking The Icon For Years Of Selflessness And Philanthropy To The Black Community
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It’s time to celebrate the ultimate Virgo, Queen Bey.
In honor of Beyoncé’s 40th birthday, MADAMENOIRE compiled a list of some of the entertainer’s most philanthropic ventures — i.e. those times when she did it for the culture so everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive.
While Bey’s done countless charity work throughout her career — a lot of it through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013 — scroll through some of the birthday girl’s efforts that particularly helped out the Black community down below.
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty
BeyGOOD X Peloton
Peleton joined forces with BeyGOOD in late 2020 to provide HBCU students with 2-year Digital Memberships. The partnership provided students with free access to the Peloton App’s entire library, including fitness classes featuring Beyoncè’s music, taught by the industry’s best instructors.
“We believe that the power of music can help uplift, motivate and inspire those on their fitness journeys,” Beyoncè said in a statement. “I’m proud to celebrate the students at HBCUs with this donation, to encourage them to find and embrace their own wellness regimens.
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty
BeyGOOD X NAACP Launch Small Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund
In July 2020, BeyGOOD partnered with the NAACP and various other businesses to help Black entrepreneurs. As described, the mission of the collaboration was to provide small Black-owned businesses with “a lifeline” and more “economic opportunity” as the country faced the onslaught of “dual pandemics” last year — COVID-19 and the rise of racial tensions following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.
Source: Earl Gibson III / Getty
The Black Parade
Also in July 2020, on Juneteenth to be exact, Beyoncè dropped The Black Parade Route — a directory of Black-owned businesses from all over the globe for people to shop from. The singer also released a song she’d co-written and co-produced of the same name, “as well as an extended, five-minute-plus version exclusively on TIDAL,” according to Forbes.
Source: Larry Busacca/PW18 / Getty
BeyGOOD And The Shawn Carter Foundation Partner With Boys and Girls Clubs of America
In 2018, Beyoncè and hubby Jay-Z worked with the Boys and Girls Clubs Of America to provide over $1 million in $100,000 individual scholarships doled out to students from Miami, Seattle, Atlanta, Orlando, New Orleans, Houston, Los Angeles, and various other major cities across the country.
Winners of the scholarships were announced during stops along the power couple’s On The Run II tour.
Source: Kevin Winter/PW18 / Getty
BeyGOOD X Hurricane Harvey Relief for Houston
When hurricane Harvey hit back in 2017, BeyGOOD joined forces with Bread of Life, Texas Southern University, and the Greater Houston Community Foundation to supply Houstonians in need with everything from cleaning products, baby products, feminine hygiene, wheelchairs, and more.
During week one of their relief effort, the coalition also helped place families in shelters, find temporary housing solutions for those in need, and worked with various other local organizations to replace the damage done to Bey’s hometown.
Source: Jason Kempin / Getty
Beyoncé X Pheonix House
Following her role as Etta James in the 2008 film Cadillac Records, Beyoncè donated $4 million of her salary to Pheonix House — an outpatient treatment facility with centers across the country for recovering drug addicts.
Bey had spent time at the Brooklyn location preparing for her role in the 2008 hit. She ended up being so moved by the stories she heard from patients that in addition to her donation, she and her mother Tina Knowles came together to open a cosmetology school associated with the Brooklyn branch. It was so those seeking treatment had a place “that would teach them skills that would give them hope even after Phoenix House,” Beyoncé said then.
“Through their stories, I realized that all of us have our personal struggles and we all have something to overcome,” Bey noted. “Drug addiction…has a stigma that must be removed. Addiction is a disease and these beautiful women I met did not choose to become addicts, but they have chosen to get better.”
“The first sign of recovery is caring about your appearance,” she added. “And hopefully, this Center will be a place that will change lots of lives every year.”
Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty
Beyoncè And Kelly Rowland Create The Survivors Foundation
Back in the mid to late 2000s, Beyoncè and Destiny’s Child groupmate Kelly Rowland teamed up to establish the Survivors Foundation to help people recover after natural disasters, particularly those who suffered the impacts of Hurricane Katrina.
Although information about the foundation on the internet is a bit scarce these days, Seventeen reported that Survivors raised millions of dollars for struggling families and partnered with Show Your Helping Hand and Feeding America to get food to local food banks.
“Reaching out and touching lives is incredibly empowering,” Beyoncè said back in 2009. “That’s why I want my fans to experience the joy of making a difference by helping someone else.”
