Erykah Badu To Headline Benefit Concert To Raise Funds For Processing Untested Rape Kits

THE SOUL SINGER IS HELPING TO GIVE BACK TO THE CITY OF DETROIT

(AllHipHop News) Soul singer Erykah Badu is teaming with The Right Productions for a special concert in Detroit.

The event is being held to raise money for the African American 490 Challenge of Enough SAID (Enough Sexual Assault in Detroit), a campaign to raise money for processing untested rape kits.

The Right Productions is donating $5 for every ticket sold.

The goal is to collect $50,000 toward the AA490 Challenge’s $657,090 year’s end target.

“Together, we stand for justice. We are honored to make Chene Park the site for great artistry supporting a great mission,” said Shahida Mausi, president and CEO of The Right Productions Inc., and promoter for Chene Park Amphitheater. “Erykah Badu is a true artist. She is a cultural icon. She answered the call, lending her voice to those who work to redress a wrong.”

In 2009, over 11,000 unopened, untested rape kits were found in a Detroit Police Department storage unit.

Many of the kits have been tested, but some still have not been examined.

Enough SAID was created as a partnership between the Michigan Women’s Foundation, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Detroit Crime Commission to raise money to test the kits.

The donations are also used to promote the investigation and prosecution of those rapes.

“It should come as no surprise that an artist with Erykah Badu’s impressive history of social consciousness would join forces with the black women leaders of Detroit to address this important social issue,” said Kim Trent, president of Enough SAID’s African American 490 Challenge. “We are very excited that she is lending her considerable talent to our cause.”

Erykah Badu’s concert is scheduled for Friday, August 12 at Chene Park Amphitheater in Detroit. For more information visit www.CheneParkDetroit.com.