As Leonardo DiCaprio accepted his first Oscar and Chris Rock took the Academy to task in his opening monologue, another star-studded event was happening miles away in Flint, Michigan with the #JusticeforFlint rally.
The event, organized by Creed director Ryan Coogler and hosted by Hannibal Buress, was intended to raise money for Flint residents who were affected by the water crisis.
As we previously reported, Ava DuVernay and Janelle Monáe were among the celebrities attending the event. Also in attendance were Empire star Jussie Smollett and Grammy nominee Musiq Soulchild. Stevie Wonder learned of the event while in Detroit and made a surprise appearance, coming on stage to sing "Love's in Need of Today" and "Higher Ground."
“I’m too close to be so far away and so I’m here in support,” Wonder said, according to The Washington Post. Wonder also admonished the Michigan state government, saying that Governor Rick Snyder in particular should be removed from office.
“If you come to my show and the music is off, the music director must be fired,” he said.
Although the organizers of the event say that it was not intended to directly conflict with the Oscars, #JusticeforFlint did offer the awards show some stiff competition online. Thousands of people discussed the event on social media, making the night's hashtags popular. Unfortunately, this did not translate to staggering donation numbers. By the end of the night only about $80,000 had been raised by 2,000 donors. In a last ditch effort to raise the grand total, Ava DuVernay encouraged people to donate. This increased the night's proceeds from $80,000 to about $122,000.
Other highlights of the night included Jussie Smollett singing Empire's "Conqueror" in a surprise duet with Estelle, Ledisi singing her rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and an appearance by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, whose discovery of heightened lead levels in children's blood brought more serious attention to the water issue.
"This is the best medicine for us right here, right now. You are giving us music, you are giving us laughter, you are giving us hope, you are giving us love. I can’t imagine spending Oscar night anywhere else but here," she said.
DuVernay and Coogler, both of whom were instrumental in organizing the event, maintain that it was not intended as a response to the controversy surrounding the Oscars.
"[W]hen it came up that this was a possible date that worked for everyone else, it felt wrong to say, ‘Hey guys, we can’t do that date, there’s something happening in L.A.' There are other things going on in the world, and this is one of them,” she said.
See below to view photos from the event:
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