SLAY! The official word of the Super Bowl. But not only did Beyonce “Slay” with her halftime show, while ever so nicely placing the announcement of her, ya know, world tour immediately following, she plans to use her Formation Tour to raise awareness to the Flint Michigan water crisis. Not really sure if that’s a redirection from that there thesis. Nonetheless, well played Bey.
Annnnnd if ya’ll weren’t aware, let me go ahead and assist you in waking up... Flint’s water is dirty as fuck. Annnnnd there’s not much being done about it. Annnnnnnnnd, as with most governmental fuck ups, it has to do with money. In 2014, the city was facing a “financial emergency.” They made a “temporary” decision to switch water supplies from Lake Huron to the Flint River. And well, if that ain’t enough quotes for you, even after numerous residents sent complaints that the water looked, smelled, and tasted “funny”, the city simply said the water was “fine.”
Virginia Tech researchers ended up testing the water and you guessed it... If it looks like shit and it smells like shit, well, it’s probably shit. Not literally, but yea, you get the idea. Dangerously high amounts of lead were found in the water which dangerously affect a child’s IQ and leave a child with learning disabilities. The water source has since been switched back to Lake Huron but the damage has been done.
The #BeyGood fund is working with the United Way to distribute clean water to locals. Beyonce is just the latest star to use her celebrity to draw eyes to the situation. Diddy, Cher, Aretha Franklin, Pearl Jam, and The Game, Big Sean, and Meek Mill have also contributed substantial amounts.