Saweetie, the daughter of a Filipino-Chinese mother and African-American father, has always stayed true to her roots. Now, Saweetie will employ her grandmother and ever-growing social media platform to create the Ice Baby Foundation.

The nonprofit organization will work with low-income households, single mothers, disabled children, and more to increase education.

“With this organization, I hope to help out my communities,” she told ESSENCE. “The Black Lives Matter movement, which is more than a movement, it’s a lifestyle to me because I’ve witnessed my dad and my uncles go through it and it actually inspired me to create my own foundation.

She also wants to use the foundation to connect with Asian-Americans in the wake of recent hate crimes towards the community. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHVz-NPMxD5/

How Saweetie Uses Her Platform For Good

Professionally, the 27-year-old Sacramento native is a rapper. When she’s not in the studio creating hits like “Tap in” and “Back To The Streets,” she’s using her growing Instagram presence to spread awareness in a fun, quintessentially Saweetie way.

Besides founding the Ice Baby Foundation, she also started the Icy University YouTube series. The USC graduate-turned-Professor Icy gives women tips and advice on being confident and growing as entrepreneurs.

Additionally, last October she took to her Instagram Reels to spread awareness about the #ENDSARS social movement in Nigeria. She interviewed her friend Omar, who had been personally impacted.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CGoXD9jgMxx/

“I think we should normalize seeking out information. We should normalize just asking,” she said (9:33). “We need to not only spread awareness, but we also need to have some sort of action to go towards that awareness.”

Clearly, Saweetie understands the impact her celebrity status can have.

“While music is a form of escapism,” she said in the interview, “there are real world matters I just want to give back and help people who support me.”

BY:

miashollie@gmail.com

Mia Hollie is a New Jersey-based communications professional and pop culture enthusiast whose writing focuses on music and television.