Last month was a busy one for Erykah Badu: she acted in and contributed to the all-star soundtrack for coming-of-age skate film The Land, and delivered some legendary palm readings on Twitter (though word is still out whether @thelionsdilemma really did catch the first gay Pokemon). More importantly, the queen of neo-soul pledged to dedicate proceeds from her upcoming Detroit concert to the African American 490 Challenge, which raises money to test the city’s thousands of abandoned rape kits. On Friday, Badu played that show, and doubled down on her commitment to the cause.
Rape kits comprise the materials needed to conduct a forensic exam following a sexual assault. According to the Rape, Assault, and Incest National Network, states must provide them for free under the Violence Against Women Act. Yet the storage and testing of these kits has emerged as a nationwide issue: many are booked into evidence at police facilities, but have not undergone DNA analysis. A massive backlog of these untested kits exists across the country. In 2009, over 11,000 abandoned rape kits were found in a Detroit police storage unit, making the city home to the fourth highest backlog in the nation.
Last year, Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy — herself a sexual assault victim — announced the establishment of a unique public-private partnership with the help of non-profit organizations to assist her underfunded office in addressing the thousands of untested kits. The Michigan Women’s Foundation spearheaded this private fund-raising through its Enough SAID project, which is benefited by the efforts of the African American 490 Challenge, an independent coalition of black female volunteers. AA490’s $600,000 goal is raised in increments of $490, the cost of each rape kit test.
Worthy has praised AA490 as the largest community response to Detroit’s backlog, and called Badu’s fundraising a “phenomenal assist” to the nearly $10 million needed to test, investigate, and fully prosecute each case. According to the Detroit Free Press, Worthy’s team has identified 2,616 suspects, including 756 alleged serial rapists across 40 states, and convicted 43 rapists.
During a post concert reception following her show at the Motor City’s Chene Park on Friday, Badu announced she plans to dedicate a portion of all her future concert proceeds to assist the organization. “I pledge to raise the same amount of money with each show that I do until we raise this money,” Badu told the Free Press. “I’m with it. I think it’s one of the most important things I could do.”
This effort is not Badu’s first engagement with reproductive health: last year, she opened up to Pitchfork about getting her doula certification in 2011 and training to become a midwife. “I’m almost there and before I know it I’ll be able to open my own practice, if that’s what I desire,” she explained. According to Badu, rape is: “a violation of human rights. It’s a violation of the human body. It’s a violation of our integrity. It’s a violation of our sexuality. It’s a crime not only against women, but children and boys who are victims as well.”
AA490 organizers said they’d raised over $35,000 from the Badu concert pre-sale, and were still tallying the Detroit show’s total funds. “I hope that this venture gives peace to some of us who are victims and some of us who are not,” Badu said.
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Text Emily Manning
Image via @erykahbadu