Justice for Flint: Stevie Wonder and Janelle Monae perform for city

Filmmaker Ryan Coogler, comedian Hannibal Buress and at least a dozen other performers were also at an event in Michigan at the same time as the Oscars

"The truth is, that by and large, the world's most popular and talented entertainers often come from the Flints all over this country," said Grey's Anatomy star/activist Jesse Williams. Williams was in Flint, Michigan, Sunday night with filmmaker Ryan Coogler, comedian Hannibal Buress and at least a dozen other performers, who traveled to the Rust Belt city to express solidarity with residents in the wake of a water crisis and to raise money at a #JusticeForFlint event.

The show was the same evening as the Academy Awards, which were under scrutiny for a lack of black nominees. Coogler, the writer and director of feature films including Fruitvale Station and Creed, insisted days before the show that despite the scheduling, the event was not a response to the awards show. The goal, he said, was to give residents a good show, and "humanize the issue" so viewers watching the show on a live internet feed could hear about what residents are going through.