Watch Rihanna’s Harvard Humanitarian Acceptance Speech Here


Rihanna was named the 2017 Harvard University Humanitarian of the Year and received the Peter J. Gomes Humanitarian Award on campus for the ceremony on February 28th. 

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“I would think to myself, I wonder how many 25 cents I could save up to save all the kids in Africa?, Rihanna stated in her acceptance speech. “And I would say to myself, ‘When I grow up and I get rich, I’m gonna save kids all over the world. I just didn’t know I would be in a position to do that by the time I was a teenager.'”

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.

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“All you need to do is help one person, expecting nothing in return. To me, that is a humanitarian,” she continued. “What that little girl watching those commercials didn’t know is that you don’t have to be rich to be a humanitarian, you don’t have to be rich to help somebody. You don’t have to be famous, you don’t even have to be college educated. But it starts with your neighbor”

Rihanna even stated she might come back to Harvard, this time for classes. You can watch Rihanna’s Acceptance speech below.

The entire ceremony is below.