Erykah Badu hosts Detroit concert to aid city's rape victims
The African American 490 Challenge revisits thousands of abandoned rape kits
Seven years ago, over 11,000 uncompleted rape kits were found in the Detroit Police warehouse, meaning thousands of rape cases remained unsolved as funding for investigations remained sparse.
This year, the department reported that an estimated 10,000 of the found kits have been tested but a large quantity of cases are still open.
Erykah Badu has announced she will be donating a percentage of the proceeds from her performance at Detroit's Chene Park Amphitheater to the African American 490 Challenge, an organization that specifically aids the cause and is named after the $490 is takes to process the rape kit test.
The African American 490 Challenge will receive $5 from each ticket purchase from Badu's show, plus proceeds from $100 pre-show reception tickets and special $1000 VIP meet and greet passes.
Erykah Badu's efforts are expected to add tremendously to the group's fundraising goal of $657,090 by 2017.
Learn more about the African American 490 Challenge here.
Sydney is Mixmag's US Digital Content Editor. Follow her on Twitter here