Black Twitter came out with daggers when it found out that pop goddess Rihanna will honor famed writer and activist Shaun King at her Fifth annual Diamond Ball Gala Sept. 12 in Manhattan.
According to Entertainment Tonight, Robyn Rihanna Fenty will also bestow an honor on Mia Mottley, the prime minister of her homeland Barbados. The yearly star-studded bash will benefit the Clara Lionel Foundation in New York.
ET obtained a statement from “Bad Gal RiRi” showing that NBC nighttime talk show master Seth Meyers will host the soiree which features performances by Pharrell and DJ Khaled.
But all hell broke loose when Twitter became aware that Rihanna, 31, would honor 39-year-old King, the famed former New York Daily News columnist who became mired in controversy after aggressively advocating for social justice and the obliteration of all vestiges of White supremacy.
Multiple Twitter users, however, have produced damning receipts of King’s alleged past corruption and their desires that Rihanna remove King from consideration.
King has vehemently and steadfastly denied the accusations of corruption on a number of occasions in the past, including these two Instagram posts:
https://twitter.com/TheVaginalist/status/1164375921282957319?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1164375921282957319&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsone.com%2Fplaylist%2Fshaun-king-rihanna-awards-controversy%2F
Also, according to the Washington Post, the ferocity of the criticisms King received for his fundraising efforts for families spurred King to threaten certain accusers with lawsuits. King has repeatedly said the accusations are false, reckless and are imperiling the integrity of his brand that includes more than 1 million Twitter followers.
Nonetheless, Black Twitter keeps coming at King hard, accusing King of stealing, misappropriation of funds, and exploiting needy families during vulnerable times:
.@flipthesenate is another joke of a "fundraiser" by Shaun King that I encourage you all not to support.
Here's four questionable ones he's done over the years.
*Shawn King University
*One for him to climb 7 Mountains
*Track neo-Nazis
*One for providing clean waterENOUGH. pic.twitter.com/hDzdrMYX93
— Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) August 14, 2019
This legit made my heart sink. @rihanna, please have someone look into #ShaunKing’s history of stealing from, threatening, and intimidating Black women, as well as misappropriating funds raised from vulnerable people.
There are so many people far more deserving of this honor. https://t.co/xgVH56usMZ
— Imani Gandy (Orca’s Version) ⚓️ (@AngryBlackLady) August 21, 2019
So I’m struggling to believe nobody at all, like nobody that works for her told Rihanna why “honoring” Shaun King might be a HORRIBLE idea. Like nobody did a quick Twitter/Google search to help my sis out ? NOBODY ?! pic.twitter.com/rhfmdmudgc
— Beyoncé’s Glitter Boots. ✨🪩 (@EleniBrandis) August 21, 2019
Where's Rachel Dolezal when you don't need her? pic.twitter.com/Z4YoqU5mah
— Todd Sloan (@BoobmanDD) August 22, 2019
So I’m struggling to believe nobody at all, like nobody that works for her told Rihanna why “honoring” Shaun King might be a HORRIBLE idea. Like nobody did a quick Twitter/Google search to help my sis out ? NOBODY ?! pic.twitter.com/rhfmdmudgc
— Beyoncé’s Glitter Boots. ✨🪩 (@EleniBrandis) August 21, 2019
https://twitter.com/HoneyOhannaTene/status/1164391032970186752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1164391032970186752&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsone.com%2Fplaylist%2Fshaun-king-rihanna-awards-controversy%2F
https://twitter.com/TheVaginalist/status/1164375921282957319?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1164375921282957319&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsone.com%2Fplaylist%2Fshaun-king-rihanna-awards-controversy%2F
https://twitter.com/dreadoczernobog/status/1164379269306314752
