Erykah Badu is lending her name, talent and time supporting the African-American 490 Challenge, which 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,” according to Blavity. Each test costs $490 to process.
In a statement, Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy said, “This is a huge day for Enough SAID/AA490. 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,” she added.
Badu, in collaboration with Right Productions, will donate the proceeds from her upcoming Detroit concert to the nonprofit community organization.
According to its Facebook page, AA490 aims to “educate and empower African American Women by bringing awareness and resources to support those who have been silenced by sexual assaults.”
Badu, who is a Grambling State University alumna, has yet to comment on her donation.
