Rihanna appeals for unity in NAACP Awards acceptance speech: 'We can fix this world together'
Rihanna shared a moving speech on strength in unity after receiving the President's Award at the 51st Annual NAACP Image Awards on February 22.
The 'Diamonds' singer celebrated her 32nd birthday last week and now celebrates winning the award, although, that is not what the mega pop star wanted to highlight in her speech.
After thanking the NAACP and its President and CEO Derrick Johnson, Rihanna quickly turned the attention away from her and towards philanthropic causes and the struggle of "people of color".
She referred to her role as "a very small part", saying, "tonight is not really about me because the purpose is bigger than me, right?" She referred to the "work that is being done in this world and the work that is yet to be done."
"If there’s anything I've learned, it's that we can fix this world together. We can't do it divided. I can't emphasize that enough. We can't let the desensitivity seep in," Rihanna continued.
She added, "The 'if it's your problem, it's not mine', 'it's a woman's problem', 'it's a black people problem', 'it's a poor people problem' — all that has to stop"
She brought up the recent shootings of both Atatiana Jefferson and Michael Brown Jr as examples of inspiration for those in protests and who share social media posts on their injustices.
For those unaware, Atatiana Jefferson was playing video games with her nephew when a cop responded to a call of an open front door and shot Jefferson from outside the window, according to USA Today.
Michael Brown Jr was a similar case where he was unarmed and shot by a police officer in 2014.
Thanking the NAACP again for their efforts at the end of her speech, Rihanna victoriously said, "We have been denied opportunities since the beginning of time and still we prevail."
Watch Rihanna's full speech here.