Just a few days ago, the comedian and actor Kevin Hart created the Hurricane Harvey Challenge to encourage celebrities and other people of high power to give back to the victims of the Houston Flood. After donating $25,000 of his own money, Hart tagged several celebrities in an Instagram post and encouraged them to do the same.
Hart creates a Donation Challenge
Hart organized a donation page through the the American Red Cross organization. There, he set the goal of $1,000,000 and challenged high ranking individuals to donate to the victims of the hurricane.
He challenged celebrities such as Beyonce, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Justin Timberlake, etc. The first celebrity that responded to the cause was none other than rapper Nicki Minaj. In an Instagram post, she accepted Hart’s challenge and agreed to donate a total of $25,000. Soon after, a vast amount of notable individuals accepted the challenge and donated large amounts of money. Though the challenge primarily targeted famous people, Hart also emphasizes on his donation page that everyone is invited to donate.
The challenge was met with backlash
Hart’s actions were praised by many individuals and inspired some of his counterparts to give generous donations. Though his actions are portrayed in a positive light, his movement has come with some backlash.
The rapper and entrepreneur Master-P or Percy Miller spoke out against Hart’s challenge. Master P told TMZ that "he didn’t think Kevin Hart should force others to give back and that it should come from the heart." In an interview with TMZ, Miller used himself as an example and expressed that he donated a large sum of money to the Harvey Relief, but did not reveal how much he donated.
In addition to that, many people were critical about the amount of money that some celebrities donated -- specifically Chris Brown. The R&B singer donated a total of $100,000 to the challenge. social media users discovered the singer's $1,000,000 net worth and criticized his willingness to be gracious to others.
Hart's challenge a success
Hurricane Harvey has left many individuals stranded, homeless, and in desperate need of rescue. The challenge shed light on some of the most pressing issues that the victims are currently facing. Since Hart’s initial announcement of the challenge, he has surpassed his goal. The comedian took to social media to thank everyone who participated in the challenge, and aims to increase the goal to $1,500,000.
