Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Andra Day is all about using her platform to raise her voice, metaphorically and literally.
And both metaphorically and literally, her voice is beautiful.
She’s a soul powerhouse whose high notes raised the roof of Cadillac House, one of the most exclusive and intimate venues in New York city, which was packed out on Tuesday night with global citizens.
But, ever since Day’s hit song “Rise Up” was transformed into the unofficial anthem of the Black Lives Matter movement, she has been using her public platform to speak up for those who don’t have such a powerful voice.
Read more: Charlie Puth Helped Honor This Entrepreneur With an Intimate Set at Cadillac House Last Night
Day has already proven herself to be a Global Citizen, which is why she was the perfect person to take to the stage as part of Global Citizen’s week-long celebration of unity and humanity in New York.
Her message from the stage was to keep trying, to keep striving to stand up for what you believe in.
“We may not see the effects, but it’s still worth it,” she told the crowd, before launching into a heartfelt rendition of “Rise Up” with a majesty silenced the celebratory atmosphere in the room.
Day’s performance was preceded by the announcement of the winner of an Accelerator grant for $10,000, awarded to support social entrepreneurs in their efforts to drive change in the world.
Global Citizen has joined with Cadillac House to award three entrepreneurs with the inaugural Global Citizen Accelerator Award, to celebrate and aid these entrepreneurs’ work.
Tuesday night’s award celebrated one of the great innovators of food security, KinoSol, which aims to reduce food waste by using a food dehydrator to cut down on post-harvest loss.
“We’re all very fortunate to know where our next meal is coming from,” said KinoSol co-founder Clayton Mooney, as he accepted the award. “But 800 million people in the world do not.”
Read more: These 18 Inspirational Activists Share Their Secrets to Building Movements for Social Good
Social entrepreneurship is at the heart of Global Citizen’s mission to end extreme poverty, in celebrating those people who dedicate their lives to leading change.
Andra Day spoke out in celebration of these entrepreneurs and their self-sacrifice.
“Daring greatly is not just being ambitious, or having big dreams, or having big goals, but being willing to sacrifice yourself to make that happen for other people. That’s daring greatly,” Day told Global Citizen after the show.
“It takes a different and a special kind of person to be willing to sacrifice their own convenience, their own lives, their own comfort, their own resources, to be able to impact and make a difference. Even if it’s on the smallest scale.”
And, she said, these actions and innovations are essential if we’re going to achieve the goal of ending poverty.
Read more: Annie Lennox, Michael Moore Join Global Leaders for a Night of Art & Advocacy
“Ending extreme poverty by 2030, it’s a lofty goal. And it’s one that people don’t think is a reality. But for me, it’s hard for people to be their greatest selves if they can’t do anything but focus on barely surviving,” she said.
“Everyone deserves a fair shot, and it’s not a fair shot if you don’t have access to clean water, access to just normal resources to achieve what you want to accomplish.”
Global Citizen campaigns to end extreme poverty by 2030, by achieving the global goals. You can join us in taking action here.