Beyoncé, Gaga offer hope at all-star event fighting COVID-19

Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Lizzo, Shawn Mendes and others sang classic songs brimmed with messages of hope and change during a TV special aimed at fighting the coronavirus, while Beyoncé and Alicia Keys spoke passionately about how the virus has disproportionately affected black Americans.

Beyoncé made a surprise appearance on April 18's TV special "One World: Together At Home," thanking "delivery workers, mail carriers and sanitation employees" for their hard work during the pandemic.

"Black Americans disproportionately belong to these essential parts of the workforce that do not have the luxury of working from home. And African American communities at large have been severely affected in this crisis. Those with pre-existing conditions are at an even higher risk. This virus is killing black people at an alarmingly high rate here in America," Beyoncé said.

African Americans account for more than one-third of COVID-19 deaths in the United States where the race of victims has been made public. Data from states, cities and counties show black people are regularly overrepresented compared to their share of the population.

"Please protect yourselves," Beyoncé continued. "We are one family. We need you. We need your voices, your abilities and your strength all over this word. I know it's very hard but please be patient, stay encouraged, keep the faith, stay positive and continue to pray for our heroes."

An Associated Press analysis, based on data through April 16, found that of the more than 21,500 victims whose demographic data was known and disclosed by officials, more than 6,350 were black, a rate of nearly 30 percent. African Americans account for 14.2 percent of the 241 million people who live in the areas covered by the analysis....