https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=286&v=rEPuy2cc1Fw
Singer/songwriter Erykah Badu serenaded students Monday at the Malcolm X Shabazz High School in Newark, New Jersey, just as her controversial statements about girls’ clothing was making the rounds on social media.
Earlier this week, the influential artist and Twitter personality came under fire for supporting a New Zealand school’s skirt mandate. The new rule requires school girls to wear knee-length skirts to avoid distracting male teachers.
Badu explained her stance on Twitter: “Men and women both go thru cycles of arousal. Men automatically are attracted to women of child bearing age…”
In the same series of tweets the entertainer said, “males should be taught to be responsible for their actions from childhood. It’s not ok to “prey” on young women…”
Meanwhile, Badu’s appearance at the New Jersey school is a sign of her commitment to the Future Project. The program is located in various U.S. cities — Philadelphia, New York, and Newark among others — and helps young students achieve academic success. She said, “Young people everywhere should have opportunity to discover their potential and build the skills they need to change their lives and world.”
Dream directors Divine Bradley and SupaNova Slom from the Future Project invited the singer to the school, where she performed her hit single “On and On” from her Baduizm album. The song won a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1998.
