Transitioning from Black History Month to Women's History Month it is important to recognize the popular singer Rihanna who was named 2017 Harvard University Humanitarian of the Year. She is in good company: The Humanitarian of The Year Award is a distinction held by women's rights activist Malala Yousafzai, actor James Earl Jones and former UN Secretary Generals Bank-Ki Moon and Kofi Annan, anti child labor spokesman Kailash Satyarthi, tennis player and activist Arthur Ashe, former Health and Human Services Director Louis Sullivan and farmworker rights advocate Dolores Huerta among others. It recognizes prominent public spirited leaders each year.
A native of Barbados, Rihanna has not forgotten her humble roots where she built a state of the art center for oncology and nuclear medicine to diagnose and treat breast cancer. In 2012, she founded the nonprofit Clara Lionel Foundation Global Scholarship Program, named after her grandparents, for students attending college in the US from Caribbean nations. The Foundation provides children with access to education in over 60 developing countries. It gives priority to girls and those affected by lack of access to educational opportunities. It also supports health initiatives around the world. Additionally, the celebrity works closely with Global Citizen on the Global Partnership for Education which advocates for 330 million children who are not in school.
Rihanna, born Robyn Fihanna Fenty, has had a busy year both on and off stage. In September, she successfully lobbied French President Francois Hollande to support the Education Cannot Wait fund and got a $2M commitment. She also teamed up with Prince Harry to bring awareness to HIV/AIDS on World Aids Day. She has leveraged her global celebrity and used her impressive social media following to shine a bright light on the challenges many in the Caribbean still face. She has raised millions for a number of worthwhile causes to help others and has teamed with other charitable groups such as UNICEF, H&M, Mac Cosmetics to do good.
Rihanna is an international musical phenomenon who has sold more than 200M records, making her one of the best selling artists of all time. She is a singer, actress and songwriter who has won eight Grammy Awards. Her rise to fame began when she was in her teens with hits like “Pon De Replay” and “S.O.S.”. She exploded on the music scene in 2007 as a protégé of rap mogul Jay-Z when they collaborated on 'Umbrella'. She has had 13 No 1 hits in a style that moves easily between reggae, R&B, rap and electronic dance music.
“Her music and fashion style symbolize an alternative, liberated social system in which modern women can own their own desires and feel no responsibility to anyone else's expectations” said one of her Harvard admirers. Another complimented her by saying, “she is a trailblazer who provides a much needed supplement to traditional white feminism.”
Her acceptance speech was frequently interrupted by squeals and cheers yet she remained brief and modest saying, “I’m incredibly humbled to be acknowledged at this magnitude for something that, in truth, I never wanted thanking for....We are all human and we all just want ...a chance at a future...It is not necessary to have fame or fortune to change someone's life...”