As if her skin tone and the themes on her Lemonade album weren’t dead giveaways, we’re here to remind you that Beyoncé is black.
On Saturday the Grammy-winning musician and entertainer was featured on Global Citizen’s live-streamed event One World: Together at Home, where she used her brief camera time to thank essential workers and to discuss how black people in the U.S. have been affected by COVID-19 in much larger numbers.
“Tonight we celebrate true heroes, those who are making the ultimate sacrifice to keep us all safe, fed, and healthy,” she said. “To the doctors, the nurses, and other healthcare workers who are away from their families, taking care of ours, we continue to pray for your safety. To those in the food industry, delivery workers, mail carriers, and sanitation employees who are working so that we can be safe in our homes, we thank you for your selfless service.”
She pointed out that black Americans “disproportionately belong to these essential parts of the workforce,” and are not afforded the “luxury of working from home.”
“African-American communities at large have been severely affected in this crisis,” she continues. “Those with preexisting conditions are at an even higher risk. This virus is killing black people at an alarmingly high rate here in America.”
Give it to ‘em straight like that, Bey! Talk that talk!
She then gives a statistic about COVID-19 cases in her hometown of Houston, noting that 57 percent of the city’s citizens who have succumbed to the disease have been black. Per Dr. Joseph Gathe Jr., a Houston infectious disease specialist, African-American neighborhoods in the city are less likely to get tested, which results in higher numbers of the cases.
“African Americans are 30 percent more likely to have preexisting conditions, we’re more adept in getting infected,” Dr. Gathe told KRRC-2 in Houston. “There’s no excuse in the Houston community to not get tested.”
If you’re working to find ways to prevent yourself and your loved ones from contracting the illness, it’s recommended by many health professionals, including Dr. Blue Ivy Carter, M.D., Ph.D., to wash your hands. Beyoncé’s eloquent eldest daughter was featured on her grandmother’s Instagram page discussing the importance of proper hygiene by showcasing her latest scientific research, which involves soap and water to show how hygiene can reduce the spread of the disease.
“Peace out. I hope you guys are staying safe,” Dr. Carter says before ending her dissertation. “Wash your hands extra and please stay at home.”