Over the past few years, Houston rapper, philanthropist, and entrepreneur Megan Thee Stallion has experienced a meteoric rise to fame, growing from a relatively unknown SoundCloud rapper to one of today’s biggest names in hip-hop. Aside from making music, she has used her newfound platform to raise awareness about racial justice issues and garner support for black women in America.
Earlier this month, Megan appeared on SNL and published an op-ed in the New York Times, discussing the murder of Breonna Taylor, her own experience as the victim of assault at the hands of rapper Tory Lanez, and generally, the persistent maltreat of black women in America.
In addressing these issues, Megan hoped to show America that black women “deserve to be protected as human beings,” and are “entitled to our anger about a laundry list of mistreatment and neglect that we suffer.”
In addition to her social activism, Megan partnered with Amazon Music’s ‘Rap Rotation’ global hip-hop playlist to kickstart her “Don’t Stop” Scholarship Fund. With this fund, Megan aims to help women of color currently pursuing higher education in any field by giving away two $10,000 scholarships.
Despite being a chart-topping, multiplatinum-selling musical artist, Megan is also a college student herself, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration at Texas Southern University. With her degree, Megan says “I really want to open up an assisted living facility — because I know I can’t be the only person where my family members are taking care of each other.”
Megan also recognizes the “transformative power of education” and launched this scholarship fund as a response to the significant underrepresentation and disadvantages experienced by women of color pursuing degrees in higher education.
Ultimately, through her social initiatives, Megan wants to show America that “we need to protect our Black women and love our Black women because, at the end of the day, we need our Black women.”
Cover image courtesy of Amazon Music