Kehlani revealed to fans on Thursday (June 13) that sales of shirts promoting their single “Next 2 U” raised more than $555,000 for the Palestinian people, as well as the people of war-torn Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo . “This song is about protection, something that institutions have failed to do for the people of Palestine, Congo and Sudan,” he wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
“No one took us like we took each other,” they added. “My team and I are overwhelmed with gratitude for your presence for this fundraiser. We are blessed to say that we have supported artists in the West Bank by raising money for families in Gaza, Sudan and the Congo. We are blessed to say that we are supported by a collaborative community. We are blessed to play a small part in a rising tide toward the truth about Palestine.”
The singer ended the note by saying: “We are invincible together and I feel so inspired by you. THANK YOU for showing up on the streets of DC, with your dollars, your work and your organizing, your bodies blocking business as usual.” The note also included the phrase “I believe we will win” and a watermelon emoji , which has become a symbol of support for the Palestinian people.
The $65 T-shirts for the singer's latest single were made in Bethlehem and printed in Ramallah, both cities in the West Bank. The fundraiser comes as the war between Israel and the militant group Hamas drags into its ninth month following Hamas' October 7 surprise attack on Israel, in which officials said more than 1,200 women, children and men were killed and 250 civilians were taken hostage. . Israel's retaliation has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians so far, according to authorities, while displacing more than a million people and causing what humanitarian groups have called the worst famine in recent history.
In the video for “Next 2 U,” Kehlani put her solidarity with the Palestinian people front and center, with an opening message that included a poem by Palestinian-American author Hala Alyan and the message “Long live the Intifada” — a reference to the two violent uprisings in the West. The Bank and the Gaza Strip aimed to end Israel's occupation of these lands. The clip also features the singer and their dancers waving Palestinian flags and wearing costumes with keffiyeh scarves. It ends with a message saying her team included a link to the list of names of the “thousands of dead children” killed in Israel's attack on Gaza provided by Al Jazeera in the video's description because it was too long to include in the clip. .
In recent months, Kehlani has been among the artists who have been speaking in support of the Palestinian people, posted an Insta video in May — which has since been removed — in which she called out her peers for not commenting on the war, saying “Can't you talk? Disgusting… It’s f–k Israel. It's f–k Zionism. And he's very big.” Her comments were supported by rapper Macklemore, who recently released his pro-Palestinian protest song “Hind's Hall,” named after the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia University that students occupied in April and renamed in her honor of a six-year-old Palestinian girl. , Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
Check out Kehlani's post below.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/kehlani-raises-half-million-dollars-aid-palestinian-people-sudan-congo-1235709096/
