Beyoncé interview Anderson Cooper 360° CNN aug 2012

Anderson Cooper: So Beyoncé, how do you get involved in World Humanitarian Day?

Beyoncé: I was definitely attracted to raising awareness of this day of recognition.

I, you know, found out that 22 people lost their lives helping people. And -

Anderson Cooper: In Baghdad, in the explosion.

Beyoncé: In Baghdad, yes.

And, you know, I thought it was such an incredible thing to turn that into something positive

and try to include the world into doing something great for someone else.

Anderson Cooper: And in the song that you are dedicating to this, "I was here", what's the message of the song?

Beyoncé: I was here, it says "I wanna leave my footprints in the sands of time"

and, it basically is all of our dreams, I think,

and that's leaving our mark on the world.

I feel like we all want to know that our life meant something,

and that we did something for someone else,

and that we spread positivity, no matter how big or how small.

So the song was perfect for Humanitarian Day.

Anderson Cooper: And is that what you want to do, to spread positivity?

Beyoncé: Absolutely.

I feel like, we all have our purpose, and we all have our strengths,

and it's -- I don't know if it's selfish or unselfish,

but if it feels so wonderful to do something for someone else,

and, I think, for the UN to want to include the whole world was something important,

and I feel like that's what I represent.

Anderson Cooper: Valerie, you're trying to reach a billion people on World Humanitarian Day.

What are you hoping to accomplish,

I mean, what's the idea behind it?

Valerie Amos: Well there are millions of people around the world who need help,

and part of my job is to get the message out there about this.

But I could do media for the rest of my life,

and we wouldn't meet -- reach as many people as Beyoncé can.

So this partnership is --

Anderson Cooper: Don't sell yourself short now.

Valerie Amos: Well, well thank you for that.

Anderson Cooper: You work very hard. You travel all the time.

Valerie Amos: Thank you, I do, but this is really about saying to everyone out there that

this is a day that's both a commemoration

because there are a lot of people who lose their lives trying to help people,

but it's also a celebration of the things that people do.

There's an amazing amount that people do every single day that goes unrecognized.

So this is about the big things and it's also about the small things.

Anderson Cooper: Do you worry, I mean that, you know, people watch the news,

and they see the slaughter in Syria,

they see the humanitarian crisis there now.

They see what's happening in Eastern Congo with millions of people who've died over the years,

and a lot of times people feel hopeless, and helpless.

I mean, how do you, Valerie, how do you counteract that?

Valerie Amos: Well that's the whole message that we're trying to get across today,

which is that you can make a small contribution which will make a huge difference.

But let's not forget that there are people right here in the United States,

there are people in -- across the world who are doing things every single day,

helping people who are homeless, for example.

Lots of little things that people do,

and one of the messages out of World Humanitarian Day is that

we can make a difference,

we can make a difference through a small act.

Anderson Cooper: So on August 19th, you're both hoping that people around the world will --

will do whatever they can, will volunteer in their communities,

will donate money, will donate time, whatever it is.

Beyoncé: Absolutely.

Anderson Cooper: Do you know what you hope to do on that day?

Beyoncé: Well I thought of many different things.

I know, one thing I'm gonna start working on now,

everyday I'm gonna try to do something,

and basically give examples of act of kindness that I think people will gravitate towards,

feel like they can do even if it's something as small as feeding the homeless

or, you know, giving your coat to someone that needs it,

or helping the elderly across the street, or --

Anderson Cooper: It is inspiring, because, I mean, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina,

you had a foundation which tried to help people in New Orleans.

Beyoncé: The Survivor Foundation.

Anderson Cooper: Yeah, and you had food drives in one of your concerts.

Beyoncé: Yes I did.

Anderson Cooper: And it's amazing, I think, in New Orleans, to me the example, what happened after Katrina,

we've seen in Haiti as well,

is the power of individuals stepping up.

I mean, so many church groups, and NGOs,

and just individuals have gone down to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast to --

to lend a hand, to build a house, to do whatever they can.

It's really inspiring.

Beyoncé: Yes. It really is.

And we built transitional home -- housing for a lot of the survivors in Katrina,

which I think was important because people need to get on their feet,

and it's more than just one day,

it's something that, you know, people need help all the time,

and I feel like one great thing about the video,

hopefully people will see it and it will be a reminder that, you know,

every single day, the smallest thing helps.

Anderson Cooper: Actually, when I was graduating college, I thought about being a relief worker,

and I realized I didn't have the stamina to, you know,

live in a tent for years at a time, in the kind of situations that a lot of these people --

I mean, you've seen how these people work around the world.

I mean, it's extraordinary what they do.

Beyoncé: It is, and I have the utmost respect.

And, you know, everyone doesn't have the time,

or everyone sometimes feels a little overwhelmed.

You have nothing but respect for people that risk their lives.

But, I feel like, if we all realized that if we do something small,

and if all of us on one day do something effective,

it will be so impactful