Lizzo is remembering her roots and giving back to those who have similar dreams of pursuing music. Although Juneteenth has come and gone, the star is still using the holiday to do good within her community with a new initiative.
In a series of Instagram posts, the “Special” singer echoed the 12 Days of Christmas and shared details regarding Juneteenth giveaways lasting throughout June. “Meet baby Lizzo on scholarship at the University of Houston hoping she’ll earn a music performance degree in flute. Little did she know she’d change the conversation on flutes in pop culture forever,” the 35-year-old captioned a photo of herself playing the wind instrument in college ahead of the weekend.
She followed that post with a big announcement: “LIZZO’S JUNETEENTH GIVEBACK IS PROUD TO PRESENT $50,000 TO THE ‘SASHA BE FLOOTING SCHOLARSHIP’ AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON.” In a video to accompany the post, the “Good as Hell” hitmaker spoke about how the partnership with her alma mater is a “milestone” for her. “It is for any young Black student from Houston, Texas who has applied to go to the University of Houston to study at the Moores School of Music. That was me just a couple years ago, a young Black flute player who just needed a scholarship and someone to believe in them. Now I get to pay it forward.”
Lizzo let her followers know that they can check out LizzoLovesYou.com for more details on how to donate toward music education. Fans and contributors can also enter for a chance to win a trip to see her perform live in Japan. Young flutists aren’t the only ones the “Boys” vocalist is looking out for. So far, her Juneteenth giveaway has also given $50,000 each to groups like the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, which serves the Black transgender community; Black Girls Smile, which provides mental health services to young Black women; and the Sphinx Organization, a social justice program offering musical opportunities to Black and Latinx people.