Megan Thee Stallion honored by her hometown of Houston for philanthropic work: 'I will continue to give back'
Megan Thee Stallion was honored in Houston, Texas, on Sunday night for her philanthropic efforts to help communities in her hometown.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner declared May 2 as “Megan Thee Stallion Day,” which is a special day to the Grammy winner, whose legal name is Megan Pete, because it is both her mother’s and grandmother’s birthdays.
”Came home real quick to get THEE KEY TO THEE CITY,” the rapper wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday, along with photos of the ceremony.
“Thank you Mayor [Sylvester Turner] for honoring me today and I will continue to give back to the city that made me who I am today,” she added.
Turner and a group of city council members presented Megan with a key to the city and several members of her family attended the event.
“Her contributions to Houston have helped a tremendous amount of people and uplifted our city when we needed it the most,” Turner tweeted.
The mayor pointed to Megan's efforts to aid Houston residents during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, where she donated supplies, funds and tablets to nursing home residents and staff who were unable to be with loved ones during isolation.
Proceeds from Megan's collaboration with fellow Houston native Beyonce for the remix of the song “Savage” also benefited Bread of Life, a nonprofit working to provide food to those in need in the Houston community, Turner added.
“[Megan Thee Stallion] is a testament to what it means to live on your own terms,” Turner tweeted. “She has experienced the death of both parents at a young age, delayed college graduation until the time was right, overcame challenges, all while using her gifts to benefit the community.”
According to Megan, her mother died in 2019 after a battle with cancer, while her father died when she was a teenager.
The rap star received a bachelor's degree in health administration from Texas Southern University in December.
“I want y’all to remember that you can do whatever you wanna do and be whoever you wanna be, cause look at me!” she wrote in an Instagram post at the time.
Megan honored her parents when launching her own foundation on Feb. 15 – her 27th birthday – by naming it after them.
The Pete and Thomas Foundation focuses on providing underserved communities in Houston with resources in education, housing, health and wellness, including a program that helps provide cancer care, according to the foundation’s website.
The hip-hop star, who has been outspoken on social justice issues, has used her platform to shed light on issues like police brutality and violence against women.
