When Rihanna speaks, the masses listen. The multi-talented entertainer has been leading by example for years, climbing the charts with music that puts the power of women’s sexuality back in their own hands, releasing affordable and inclusive lines of makeup and lingerie, and starting a nonprofit that brings education and emergency aid to those in need around the world. So, when Rihanna used her time at the mic during Saturday’s NAACP Awards to call on allies and friends to stand up for the people and causes in their lives, it was time to listen up.Rihanna attended Saturday’s prestigious event at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium where she was awarded with the highly regarded President’s Award. "Tonight is not really about me, because the purpose is bigger than me, right?" Rihanna said at the top of her speech. "It's not bigger than us together, but it's bigger than me. 'Cause my part is a very small part of the work that is being done in this world and the work that is yet to be done."The popstar, designer and philanthropist called on attendees and her fans to unite, noting that "If there's anything I've learned, it's that we can fix this world together. We can't do it divided. I can't emphasize that enough,” Rihanna continued, adding, “We can't let the de-sensitivity seep in. The, 'If it's your problem, then it's not mine. It’s a woman's problem, it's a black people problem, it's a poor people problem.'"
Rihanna’s impassioned and inspiring rally cry to the A-list crowd received its biggest mid-speech round of applause when she called on friends and allies to support the people of colour and members of other historically disenfranchised groups in their lives. "How many of us in this room have colleagues and partners and friends from other races, sexes, religions?" she posed to the crowd. "Well then, they want to break bread with you, right? They like you? Well then, this is their problem too.""So, when we're marching and protesting and posting about the Michael Brown Jrs and the Atatiana Jeffersons of the world, tell your friends to pull up," she said.[video_embed id='1904785']RELATED: Rihanna trolls her fans about ‘R9’ on her birthday[/video_embed]Eighteen-year-old Michael Brown Jr’s death at the hands of a Ferguson police officer in 2014 sparked peaceful protests and charged confrontations between residents of St. Louis and the militarized police force. The instance is one of many examples of fatal police violence against members of the black community and sparked the use of the phrase "Hands up, don't shoot" in the wider Black Lives Matter movement. Atatiana Jefferson was 28 when she was shot through her own window and killed by police after neighbors called a non-emergency number to report that the front door to Jefferson’s Fort Worth, Texas home was open.Rihanna closed her speech by thanking the NAACP, adding “We’ve been denied opportunities since the beginning of time and still we prevail so I’m honoured. Imagine what we could do together.”The President’s Award has previously gone to John Legend, Spike Lee, Kerry Washington, Muhammad Ali, Venus and Serena Williams, Lauryn Hill and Jay-Z and recognizes "special achievement and distinguished public service." Rihanna was honoured for her years of work founding the
Clara Lionel Foundation, which she began in 2012 and named for her grandparents. The Foundation, which throws an annual black tie fundraiser called
The Diamond Ball, supports and funds education and emergency response programs around the world with a special interest in advocacy for children.
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