Rihanna Named Harvard’s Humanitarian of the Year

Rihanna has been named Harvard University’s 2017 Humanitarian of the Year. She’ll accept the honor on site at the university’s campus next Tuesday. The award recognizes Rihanna’s many humanitarian projects, such as her building a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment facility in Barbados, and creating a scholarship program for students attending U.S. colleges from Caribbean countries. Past honorees include Ban Ki-moon, Malala Yousafzai, and actor James Earl Jones. Read a statement from S. Allen Counter, the Harvard Foundation’s director, below.

Rihanna has charitably built a state-of- the-art center for oncology and nuclear medicine to diagnose and treat breast cancer at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown, Barbados. She has also created the Clara and Lionel Foundation Scholarship Program [named for her grandmother and grandfather] for students attending college in the U.S. from Caribbean countries, and supports the Global Partnership for Education and Global Citizen Project, a multiyear campaign that will provide children with access to education in over 60 developing countries, giving priority to girls and those affected by lack of access to education in the world today.

Rihanna’s last album was ANTI. 

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