Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has been swift and consistent in her response to the coronavirus pandemic. This week, she shared a new video of the mobile COVID-19 testing sites she and mother Tina Knowles-Lawson set up in their hometown of Houston, Texas.
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As the pandemic and nationwide quarantines continue, the singer has stepped up her charitable efforts with the launch of the #IDIDMYPART, a campaign that encourages Black communities to prioritize their healthcare while also giving them access to free Covid-19 testing.
Wednesday evening, Knowles-Carter shared a black and white video on her Instagram that showed Houston residents flocking to two middle schools and then social distancing by waiting in their vehicles to receive free coronavirus testing last week.
“BEYGOOD MOBILE TESTING,” read video caption, which also features cameos from Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and beloved Houston rapper Paul Wall. Gift bags were handed out as medical staff waited to administer the tests.
Knowles-Lawson says she partnered with her daughter’s BeyGOOD initiative on this project as a response to the disproportionate mortality rates in African-American communities during the pandemic.
“We have to look at what is happening in our Black and Brown communities and how they are being decimated by Covid-19,” she explained in a statement. “It is critical that we stay vigilant with social distancing, wearing a mask, and most of all getting tested.”
In April, Beyoncé made a donation of $6 million to coronavirus relief in partnership with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s Start Small fund.
“Those with pre-existing conditions are at an even higher risk. This virus is killing Black people at an alarmingly high rate here in America,” Beyoncé said during a surprise appearance on the “One World: Together at Home” concert last month.
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She concluded her heartfelt message by urging viewers to”stay encouraged” and “protect yourselves.”
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