Rihanna Will Receive Harvard University’s 2017 Humanitarian of the Year

Rihanna has been named the 2017 Harvard University Humanitarian of the Year and will receive the Peter J. Gomes Humanitarian Award on campus for the ceremony on February 28th. 

“Rihanna has charitably built a state-of- the-art center for oncology and nuclear medicine to diagnose and treat breast cancer at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown, Barbados,” said S. Allen Counter, the Harvard Foundation’s director.

The Bajan singer, designer, actress, and activist has raised millions of dollars for charitable causes since the beginning of her career in 2005. Rihanna has created the Clara and Lionel Foundation Scholarship Program [named for her grandmother and grandfather] for students attending college in the U.S. from Caribbean countries, and supports the Global Partnership for Education and Global Citizen Project, a multiyear campaign that will provide children with access to education in over 60 developing countries, giving priority to girls and those affected by lack of access to education in the world today.

Past honorees include physician-statistician Hans Rosling; actor James Earl Jones; Nobel Peace Prize Committee chairman Thorbjørn Jagland; U.N. Secretaries General Ban Ki-moon, Kofi Annan, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and many more.

Last month, Rihanna traveled to Malawi to spend time with key educators, government officials, students and mentors to promote education on behalf of her foundation and as the ambassador for Global Citizen and the Global Partnership for Education, a multiyear campaign that will provide children with access to education in over 60 developing countries, giving priority to girls and those affected by lack of access to education in the world today.

The award will be presented at 4 p.m. at Sanders Theatre. While admission is free, tickets are required and can be picked up at Sanders Theatre beginning at noon the day of the performance. A Harvard ID is required and tickets are limited to two per person. In-person distribution only and the tickets are valid until 3:45 p.m.