Jeffrey Wright, Lupita Nyong'o And More Debut Video To Help Health Care Workers
Brooklynites are uniting to raise money for a noble hometown cause meant to relieve medical personnel on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Brooklyn for Life! Initiative co-founded by Westworld actor Jeffrey Wright has already raised more than $386,000 to deliver meals from local restaurants to front-line health care workers.
In a two-and-a-half-minute video, Wright wrangled up a slew of A-list celebrities, including Spike Lee, Chris Rock, Jimmy Kimmel, Lupita Nyong’o, Rosie Perez, Mahershala Ali, Michelle Williams, Michael K. Williams, Erykah Badu, Big Daddy Kane, Meshell Ndegeocello, Maxwell, Peter Dinklage, Carmen Ejogo, Ethan Hawke, Steve Buscemi, Annabella Sciorra, and Debi Mazar.
The video is raising awareness of Wright’s GoFundMe drive effort on April 25, during which meals will be delivered to workers at nine Brooklyn hospitals and 10 EMS stations.
Wright recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the sacrifice of health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. "The health care workers and the first responders are having a tough time getting food because all the restaurants are not operating at 100 percent,” he said. “And the restaurants need revenue, and they are so energized to be able to play a vital role. It's all community-based, grassroots, streamlined, efficient."
For the latest on the coronavirus, check out BET’s blog on the virus, and contact your local health department or visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.