Dozens of stars have tried their best to pitch in and help Black communities now that families are struggling to cover basic necessities due to the growing financial crisis.
Music mogul and rap legend Birdman decided to throw his hat in the ring on Monday, offering to cover the rent for residents in the Uptown area of New Orleans for the entire month of May.
In an Instagram post, the 51-year-old co-founder of Cash Money Records said he wanted to help everyone in the neighborhood where he was born and raised.
"I would like 2 offer to pay everybody rent for month of May (for those who in need) in residents area of UPTOWN New Orleans where I was born and raised at from mac melph calio and ST Thomas housing also from 3rd ward to 17th ward," he wrote.
In the post, he thanked local radio station Q93 New Orleans for helping him put the project together.
He lauded healthcare workers and essential employees for risking their lives to help provide for the city's residents and asked New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell as well as the Housing Authority of New Orleans for assistance in trying to support the neighborhood.
The music mogul, whose real name is Bryan Williams, has often given back to his old neighborhood, local news outlet WDSU reported. Birdman has handed out turkeys to people in the area and provided free health screenings to families for more than 20 years.
Earlier this month, another famous New Orleans native stepped up to help those in need. Master P offered elderly New Orleans residents free cleaning services through his cleaning company, Master Clean Life.
"It’s a blessing to be able to help the elderly because they were the ones that were there for us. The more we make the more we give. God is real! Join the movement," Master P wrote on his Instagram page.
Last week, comedian Michael Che also put up his own money to help cover the rent for the residents of his grandmother's old apartment building. His grandmother died of COVID-19, and he spoke passionately about how much she meant to him, as Blavity previously reported.
Rihanna, LeBron James, Lil Nas X, Ciara and Tyler Perry are just a few of the many Black stars to take a piece of their fortune and put money toward causes related to COVID-19 relief.
I want to thank @rihanna and the Rihanna Foundation for donating Personal Protective Equipment to New York State.
We're so appreciative of your help and that of so many others who have stepped up.
5/5
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 26, 2020
The world needs us ALL. Unprecedented times. @DangeRussWilson & I are supporting our community in Seattle by donating 1 million meals with Seattle @FoodLifeLine
https://t.co/3FlJi9GU2G Rally & support your local food bank @FeedingAmerica
Let’s all keep the Faith during this time pic.twitter.com/kqwkuh50pi— Ciara (@ciara) March 18, 2020
Many other Black stars have used their platforms to talk about how much Black communities across the country are suffering from the spread of COVID-19. Oprah, Idris Elba and others have leveraged their stardom to publicize the drastic effect the virus is having in Black neighborhoods.
Yesterday, Beyoncé announced she was putting $6 million toward mental health-related COVID-19 efforts.
As of Friday, there were at least 6,169 confirmed cases of coronavirus in New Orleans, with more than 340 deaths.
