In a new video to announce the launch of a campaign to support New York City’s homeless students, rapper Joey Bada$$ shared that out of the 1.1 million students enrolled in the New York City Public School system, 110,000 are homeless, with 85 percent of those youth being Black or Hispanic.
He went on to share details of his partnership with New York’s Fund for Public Schools and the New York City Department of Education.
“Super proud to launch this campaign in conjunction with @thefundforps & @nycschools to support NYC’s homeless students,” wrote Joey in the video’s caption, Wednesday, May 20. “I’m donating $25K and would love your support, either as a repost and/or contribution of any size–every $ counts!”
The money will be used to help some of the most vulnerable students, such as those in temporary housing and those who lack basic needs or resources to help them successfully complete remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Fund for Public Schools also will work to support the “physical and social-emotional well-being” of students, according to Julie L. Shapiro, CEO of the nonprofit, which is a partner to the New York City Department of Education.
“We want every student to receive high-quality opportunities to keep learning and remain engaged throughout the summer,” the Fund for Public Schools writes on its website.
Joey attended Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, where he met the members of his Pro Era rap collective. He achieved fame as a solo artist while still there, after releasing his debut mixtape “1999” to critical acclaim.
In his video, the talented wordsmith asked people to join him in his efforts to help take care of New York City students, so COVID-19 won’t rob them of a promising future.
“Now this COVID-19 crisis has been tough on a lot of us, but I can only imagine how hard it is on the homeless students,” he said. “Please join me in our efforts to support our most vulnerable students prepare for a brighter future.”
