Grammy-winning singer The Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye, has made a massive contribution to his hometown of Toronto’s chapter of Black Lives Matter.
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Having spoken out against the spate of violence against Black people by police, especially the recent deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, he made of a donation of US$250,000 to the group fighting against police brutality.
This follows on the heels of his US$50,000 contribution to a campaign calling for an Ethiopian Studies program at the University of Toronto.
“It’s unbelievable,” Tam Gebeyehu, board member of the Bikila Award told the Toronto Star. “He grew up in Toronto as an Ethiopian-Canadian, and now he’s giving back to the community.”
Tesfaye has been a past recipient of a Bikila Award, which was created in honor of Ethiopian long distance runner Abebe Bikila, to “empower young people reach their highest potential and to celebrate their achievements.” In 2014, Tesfaye was given its Professional Excellence Award.
“Back then he was doing a lot of stuff, but was still a boy from Scarborough just rising to fame,” Gebeyehu told the Star. “His donation helps us preserve our culture and share it with everyone else.”