Lena Waithe is helping the community from the ground level—and with a little help from a familiar app.
As the Emmy-winning screenwriter confirmed on The Late Late Show with James Corden on Monday, she’s been giving money to people on Instagram in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“When the cameras leave and when the dust settles, Hillman Helps will still be here,” she told Corden, referencing the new initiative she formed in relation to her company, Hillman Grad Productions. “I’m a big believer in community, I’m a big believer in tribe.”
As a result, she and others have been giving away money to people they’ve connected with on Instagram. Waithe noted she took out almost $50,000 from her own bank account.
As she explained, “We’ve literally just been going through the Instagram and people asking us for certain amounts and they’re not asking for a lot.” Examples of donations Waithe shared included money for gas to get between rallies and to pay off a smaller student loan.
“It really has been a humbling and inspiring experience for me to talk to these people and to communicate with them,” the star told Corden. “We’ve been able to help some folks out and it’s been a beautiful thing.”
