Erykah Badu will donate $5 from each standard ticket purchased for her August 12th concert in Detroit, MI to the African American 490 Challenge to process backlogged rape kits. All of the proceeds from tickets for the pre-concert reception and VIP reception will also be donated.
The African American 490 Challenge is raising money to fund the scientific testing of the 11,341 unopened rape kits that were found in a Detroit Police Department storage unit more than five years ago. The total cost of testing each kit is $490, hence the use of “490” in the organization’s name.
According to AA 490, each unopened kit represents abandoned cases, escaped sexual offenders and victims without closure. Enough SAID (Enough Sexual Assault in Detroit) is another partner of theirs in this mission to have the unopened rape kits processed.
While Erykah Badu has yet to speak publicly about her donation, Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy spoke about the significance of it.
“This is a huge day for Enough SAID/AA490,” she said in a statement. “Everyone knows that Erykah Badu is a major, major talent in the music and song-writing industry. For her to lend her name, talent and time to this work is nothing short of a miracle. Justice for these forgotten sexual assault victims has been given a phenomenal assist.”
Badu is no stranger to philanthropy. Her own organization, B.L.I.N.D. (Beautiful Love Incorporated Nonprofit Development) was set up to provide arts programming to children living in under-served communities. In 2013, the organization offered bootcamps that taught music production and DJ skills to children in Dallas. Earlier this year she made her NYFW debut bringing awareness to mental health.
