Shaun King: 5 Things To Know About The Activist Being Honored At Rihanna’s Diamond Ball
Civil rights activist and writer Shaun King is one of two people receiving the prestigious Diamond Ball Award at Rihanna’s fifth annual Diamond Ball on Sept. 12. Here are five things you should know about him.
Rihanna, 31, is known for honoring some of the most incredible people at her annual Diamond Ball and this year will be no exception. The singer announced that she will be presenting Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and civil rights activist Shaun King with the prestigious 2019 Diamond Ball Award on Sept. 12, when the fifth ball will be held. The event benefits Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation, which funds education and emergency response programs all around the world, and is set to be hosted by comedian Seth Meyers. “I can’t imagine a better night than this year’s Clara Lionel Foundation event with Seth Meyers, Pharrell and DJ Khaled,” Rihanna said about the upcoming event, reported Variety. “I am particularly honored to present Prime Minister Mottley and Shaun King with this year’s Diamond Ball Awards for their groundbreaking work. We are so thankful to them for joining us and making the night better than ever.”
Ever since RiRi announced the honorees, all eyes have been on them, including 39-year-old Shaun, who has done some incredible work. Here are five things you should know about him.
1.) He gained fame by using social media to help promote social justice cases. In addition to being a writer, he is known for his activism in various movements, including the Black Lives Matter movement and has helped lead a large following for the causes he believes in.
2.) He co-founded Real Justice PAC in 2018. It is a political action committee that helps elect prosecutors who support criminal justice reform at both county and city levels. Before that, in 2015, he created an organization that is meant to identify police brutality called Justice Together but he disbanded it in 2016 and went on to try and start an Injustice Boycott that same year.
3.) Before his work in social justice, he made a living as a teacher. He taught high school civics in Atlanta and eventually went on to become a pastor in the city. He founded the Courageous Church there and went on to create numerous internet campaigns for causes dear to his heart, including aHomeinHaiti.org and HopeMob.org, which help better lives for less fortunate people.
4.) He’s received other prestigious awards for his work. They include the Samuel Peabody Award for Journalism from the Citizen’s Committee for Children in New York in 2017 and Black Entertainment Television’s Humanitarian Hero Award in 2018.
5.) He is a father. Shaun has fathered three biological children and adopted two. He has also fostered others.