Beyonce’s push to make an impact on World Humanitarian Day this year seems to have come out of the blue, but in an interview with Anderson Cooper on AC 360, the singer finally explained what inspired her to encourage her fans to do something for someone else this year.
Beyonce talked about being drawn to raise awareness after finding out about the 22 humanitarians who were killed in an explosion in Baghdad, and when Anderson asked why she attached her song, “I was Here” to the effort, she said this:
“[The song] says, ‘I want to leave my footprints in the sands of time’ and it basically is all of our dreams, I think. And that’s leaving our mark on the world. I feel like we all want to know that our life meant something.
“We all have our purpose and we all have our strengths and I don’t know if it’s selfish or unselfish, but it feels so wonderful to do something for someone else. And I think for the U.N to want to include the whole world was something important, and that’s what I represent.”
U.N. under-secretary-general and emergency relief coordinator Valerie Amos joined Beyonce on AC 360 and talked about the organization’s goal of reaching one billion people on August 19 when Beyonce reveals her new “I Was Here” video. Speaking on the United Nations‘ involvement in the campaign, she said:
“This is really about saying to everyone out there that this is a day that’s both a commemoration because there are a lot of people who lose their lives trying to help people. But it’s also a celebration of the things that people do.”
Check out a clip from the interview below. Are you planning on participating in World Humanitarian Day?
