The Weeknd drops big donations to Black Lives Matter and other organizations, asks music labels to do the same
As a show of support for the Black community and the many people protesting against police violence, the music industry is observing today’s Blackout Tuesday campaign to draw attention to racial injustice and organizations like Black Lives Matter, but The Weeknd is taking things further and asking everyone else “with big pockets” to do the same. As reported by Variety, he posted on Instagram this week that he just donated a total of $500,000 to organizations working to help Black people, with $200,000 going to both the Black Lives Matter Global Network and the Colin Kaepernick Know Your Rights Camp Legal Defense Initiative, plus $100,00 going to National Bail Out. He offered links to more information about these organizations alongside his Instagram post, which also includes the receipts from his donations (with the added benefit of revealing his real name, if you don’t mind losing a bit of the mystique).
That’s not all, though: The Weeknd is also asking Sony, Universal, and Warner (three of the biggest music labels), as well as Spotify and Apple (the streamers), to make similar donations, saying that “no one profits off of Black music more than the labels and streaming services” and asking them to “go big and public” with donations of their own this week. “It would mean the world to me and the community if you can join us on this,” he adds.
Looking for ways to advocate for Black lives? Check out this list of resources by our sister site Lifehacker for ways to get involved.