It’s easy to talk about all of the shortcomings and disadvantages prevalent in the black community, it takes a lot more effort to do something about it. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation released a study in 2012 showing that African-Americans give a larger share of their income to charities than any other group. This A-List of celebrities, athletes, and superstars have not only entertained us in their various professions, but they also went out of their way to empower and give back to their communities:

Chance the Rapper is a Chicago-based rapper best known for his hit song “No Problem”. Frustrated with the lack of accountability with Chicago Public School’s budget crisis, Chance put his money where his mouth was and donated $1 million to Chicago Public Schools and started a charity, SocialWorks, that will continue to donate $10,000 for every additional $100,000 raised.

Denzel Washington is an award-winning actor, director, and producer. In 2007, he donated $1 Million to Wiley College, an HBCU. The funds were used specifically for Wiley College’s Debate Team, the focus of Denzel Washington’s movie, The Great Debaters.  In 2018, he donated another $1 Million.

Usher Raymond is a Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter. Usher founded New Look, a charitable organization that develops global youth leaders by way of access, awareness, and empowerment.

Steve Harvey is a comedian, television host, producer, radio personality, actor, and author. He created the Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation whose mission is to: “provide outreach to fatherless children and young adults by promoting educational enrichment, one-on-one mentoring and global service initiatives that will cultivate the next generation of responsible leaders.”

John Legend is an award-winning singer, songwriter, and actor. He founded the Show Me Campaign seeks to give every child access to a quality education. Through programs such as Teach for America, Teach for All, Harlem Village Academies, and New Profit, the Show Me Campaign works to elevate and celebrate teachers, the single most important factor for student achievement in our schools.

Drake is a Canada-based rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and entrepreneur. Instead of using his $1 million rap video budget for his hit single, God’s Plan, the music video shows him giving away the money to people on the street, delivering toys to the children of Miami's Lotus House, surprising a family with a brand new car and providing a scholarship to a student at the University of Miami, among other acts of kindness.

Lebron James is a championship-winning NBA athlete, actor, and entrepreneur. He founded the Lebron James Family Foundation, which has spent $41 Million to send kids to college. LeBron James also partnered with the city of Akron to create his own public school, I Promise.

Diddy is hip-hop icon, mogul, and superstar. He’s donated over $5 Million to various causes and organizations, one of which being Howard University, his alma mater and an HBCU, which received $1 Million from his philanthropic efforts.

Love them or hate them, the list of people above have used their talents, wealth, and celebrity to give back to our community, and that’s worth a standing ovation. But don’t be discouraged, you don’t have to be a millionaire to give back and support your community, you don’t even have to be a thousandaire. One of the easiest ways to take care of yourself and take care of our community is to purchase a product from Golden Grooming Co., which donates 5% of all sales to HBCUs and entrepreneurship programs. We believe by investing in our community, we also invest in ourselves. Will you join us in our mission to change the narrative?