11 Celebrities and Activists Leading The Fight Against AIDS In The Black Community And The World
Alicia Keys
After a trip to Africa in 2003 where she witnessed the impact AIDS can have, including orphaning children, devastating communities and stifling economic progress, Alicia Keys, along with her friend and longtime AIDS activist Leigh Blake, founded Keep a Child Alive, a non-profit dedicated to providing AIDS medication and support services to children and families who have been affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. KCA has raised millions of dollars and as of 2009, saved an estimated 45,000 lives. A global ambassador for KCA, Keys has led many well-known media initiatives, including the most recent Buy Life campaign, where people can scan a “Buy Life” bar code using the cellphone apps Stickybits or WiMO to provide medicine, food and shelter to those in need due to the disease. Keys is also the host of the annual Black Ball held twice a year in New York and London, which brings celebrities and philanthropists together to raise funds.
