According to Billboard, with 14 number-one hits, Oscar candidate Rihanna is one of the recording industry’s most popular entertainers. She was the first artist to exceed 100 million digital sales in 2015, and she was named Harvard Humanitarian of the Year in 2017. Rihanna officially became a billionaire in 2021, becoming the richest woman in music owing partly to her Fenty Beauty cosmetics line.

Rihanna, who was born and raised in Barbados, established the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012 in memory of her grandparents. CLF advocates for environmental and social justice projects in the United States and the Caribbean, which the non-profit claims is one of the most disaster-prone locations in the world and has been particularly sensitive to the consequences of climate change.

Its climate resilience programs proactively design emergency preparedness measures, such as updating infrastructure and ensuring access to health care during disasters.

“CLF’s goal is to help communities prepare for and withstand natural disasters so that the Caribbean can become the world’s first climate-resilient zone,” says Christine Platt, Director of Communications at CLF.

The non-profit claims that its methods can be scaled and copied in other parts of the world, and its most recent endeavor, With/Stand, demonstrates a commitment to global collaboration. CLF has supported initiatives in over 35 countries and all 50 states addressing climate justice, natural disaster response, communicable disease relief, education, and racial equity.

“CLF takes pride in supporting climate justice initiatives led by Black, Indigenous, and people of color, with 100% of our current Caribbean partners led by BIPOC.” “This is because we recognize that environmental justice is inextricably linked to racial injustice,” Platt explains.

During Black History Month, the non-profit is sponsoring a campaign to recognize climate justice trailblazers including Colonel Charles Young, the National Park Service’s first Black Superintendent. Their work, however, continues all year.

“At CLF, we are always celebrating, highlighting, supporting, and amplifying the work of Black environmentalists,” Platt goes on to say, “both domestically and in the Caribbean.”

LeBron James is one of the most well-known athletes in the world. The current Los Angeles Laker is the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, having won four NBA championship rings with three different teams, four NBA MVP honors, and two Olympic gold medals, among many other accolades. James, who has been named on Time Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People multiple times, is also rumored to be the first active NBA player to become a billionaire through interests in athletics, restaurants, real estate, and media. (It should be noted that James executive produced the 2021 CNN film “Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street.”)

In 2004, James was elected NBA Rookie of the Year, the same year he established The LeBron James Family Foundation. Since then, the education-focused non-profit has assisted over 1,600 Akron, Ohio, public school students and their families.

In 2011, the LJFF established its flagship I PROMISE program, which identifies and supports third-grade students who are at danger of falling behind in school. The LJFF established its I PROMISE School for grades three through eight in 2018, with a longer school day, STEM-focused curriculum, and a family-centered atmosphere. Its “new model for urban, public education” goes beyond the classroom, with an on-site Family Resource Center that provides services and programming such as medical care, legal aid, financial literacy workshops, and a food bank.