Ariana Grande to Become Honorary Citizen of Manchester

By Faith Baquirquir, Christian Post Contributor Friday, June 16, 2017

American singer Ariana Grande is set to be the first person to receive an honorary citizenship from Manchester for her actions towards the victims of the terrorist attack during her concert at the Manchester Arena last month.

About a couple of weeks after the tragedy, Grande returned to Manchester for her "One Love Manchester" concert, wherein she performed with several other artists, and raised almost £3 million for the victims.

Because of this, the Manchester City council has proposed a new system to acknowledge those who make exceptional contributions to their city, and Grande is set to be the first recipient of the award, which is an honorary citizenship.

"This seems a fitting moment to update the way we recognize those who make noteworthy contributions to the life and success of our city," Sir Richard Leese, council leader of Manchester City, said in a statement as reported by BBC.

Saying that they have all been proud of how Manchester has become resilient through the tragedy and how the response to the attack has been filled with "love and courage, rather than hatred and fear." Leese also said that the "One Last Time" singer exemplified all these, making her worthy of the recognition.

He added, "I think many people would already consider her an honorary Mancunian and we would be delighted, if the council approves the proposal, to make it official."

The bombing at Grande's concert killed 22 people, and injured many, whom Grande herself paid a visit to when she returned to the city for her benefit concert. The singer reportedly went to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital ward ahead of "One Love Manchester" to show her support and compassion to her young fans affected by the attack.

The honorary citizenship is said to be only a portion of a bigger plan by the city council to honor non-citizens who largely contribute to Manchester.