Beyoncé And Tina Knowles Lawson Hand Out 1,000 Free COVID-19 Test Kits

The free testing is a part of Beyoncé and Tina Knowles Lawson’s #IDIDMYPART initiative

This Mother’s Day weekend, Beyoncé and her mom Tina Knowles Lawson are doing their part to emphasize the importance of coronavirus testing.

Beyoncé and Knowles Lawson created the initiative #IDIDMYPART, offering hundreds of test kits to their hometown of Houston, Texas. The singer took to Instagram to share a picture from one of the test sites, thanking them for getting tested.

“Seeing my hometown do their part and get tested today brought me so much joy. H-Town, I love y’all,” Beyoncé wrote next to a picture taken at one of the local middle schools showing a line of cars with people waiting to be tested.

“This weekend’s effort will provide 1,000 test kits, face masks, gloves, essential vitamins and household supplies to citizens of Houston,” her press release states. The test is free and given to people right in their cars to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Knowles Lawson created the initiative to encourage Houston residents to get tested. “Recognizing that African American communities have an escalated rate of infections and fatalities, Ms. Knowles Lawson is pleading to Houston residents to know their status in an urgent appeal to stop the spread of the coronavirus,” the press release states.

Knowles Lawson cited a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that, as of April 23, 33.7 percent of COVID-19 patients were African American, even though African Americans comprise 13 percent of the U.S. population. And as per the CDC, as of mid-April, roughly 33 percent of all fatalities are African American. “The virus is wreaking havoc on the Black community so we need a movement to prioritize our health,” Knowles Lawson said.

In addition to the free test, participants also receive a grocery gift card from BeyGOOD, an initiative started by Beyoncé, as well as a voucher for a hot meal from two local restaurants, Frenchy’s Chicken and Burns Original Bar-B-Q. Participants also receive an informational packet detailing how to stay safe and healthy during the pandemic.

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“Testing is crucial because it helps find hot spots and saves lives,” said Congresswoman Shelia Jackson-Lee in a prepared statement. “Texas has a very low COVID-19 test rate, second lowest in the nation. This is why the commitment by Ms. Tina Knowles Lawson and BeyGOOD is so significant in helping Houstonians get out and get tested.”

The singer and mom-of-three has already donated $6M to help fight the spread of the virus, giving funding to charities providing food, water, cleaning supplies, medicines, face masks, and personal hygiene items. Beyoncé is also bringing awareness to mental health, in general, as isolation, loneliness, and depression rise dramatically as a result of quarantining.

Knowles Lawson said she challenged several celebrities who plan to continue the #IDIDMYPART movement: Tyler Perry in Atlanta, Magic Johnson in Detroit, and Octavia Spencer in Mississippi.

Information about COVID-19 is rapidly changing, and Scary Mommy is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. With news being updated so frequently, some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For this reason, we are encouraging readers to use online resources from local public health departments, the Centers for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization to remain as informed as possible.