A voice for others
Heads of state, Nobel laureates, titans of business. Sure, lots of famous and interesting people visit Harvard’s campus all the time. But none of them generate quite the sensation — or the declarations of love — that superstar Rihanna set off on Tuesday afternoon. The pop singer received the Harvard Foundation’s Peter J. Gomes Humanitarian Award during an hour-long ceremony before a raucous crowd that had waited hours to get a coveted seat inside jam-packed Sanders Theatre. “I’m incredibly humbled to be acknowledged at this magnitude for something that, in truth, I never wanted thanking for,” said Rihanna during brief remarks that were frequently interrupted by squeals and cheers. A native of Barbados, Rihanna has leveraged her global celebrity and used her impressive social media following to shine a bright light on the challenges many in the Caribbean still face gaining access to education and health care. She has raised millions for a...