Saturday night, musical artist Lizzo appeared on New York City’s Central Park stage for the Global Citizen Live event. Dressed in a hot pink cat suit with removable ruffled sleeves, the performer wowed audiences with her biggest hits, including “Truth Hurts” and “Juice.”
The Grammy award winner wanted to share more than music while she had the audience enthralled. Lizzo used the opportunity to bring attention to institutional racism in not only the U.S. but around the world, as Global Citizen was being broadcast from six continents.
“Thank you so much to Global Citizen for having me,” she started. “You know, big Black girl from Detroit by way of Houston, Texas, doing big ass things with my life. I’m just so grateful every time I can step on the stage and sing for y’all. Thank you so much.
“And now I’m a rich bitch, that’s exciting, that’s never happened. I’ll be like, ‘What kind of rich bitch do I want to be?’ And I decided I want to be a philanthropist. I want to give back. Why would God give me so much if I can’t give it back? So thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to give back.”
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Lizzo then explained that Central Park is set in the location of a former community called Seneca Village, an area that was known as a thriving Black neighborhood in the mid-19th century. Residents were forcibly removed, and their homes were demolished to create the park tourists and New Yorkers alike enjoy every day.
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“As we talk about climate change and making the world a better place and solving homelessness, we also have to talk about the institutionalized racism that happens in this country all the time,” Lizzo said. “And if we don’t talk about our history constructively, how can we build a better future? It’s time to talk about things, and it’s time to make a change. And it starts within. You got to better to yourself, so you can be better to others.”
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