Taraji P. Henson lends hand to Keys' HIV & AIDS charity

Posted December 01, 2015 6:00 am

By MESFIN FEKADU

NEW YORK (AP) - Taraji P. Henson and Alicia Keys are joining forces to fight HIV and AIDS.

Henson, Janelle Monae and Laila Ali are signing on as ambassadors for the newly formed power council on Keys' charity, Keep a Child Alive. The announcement was made Tuesday to coincide with World AIDS Day.

Henson, Monae and Ali will offer support to Keep a Child Alive, which Keys launched in 2003 to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS.

"AIDS is the No. 1 one cause of death of adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa and the second greatest cause of death worldwide. ... I'm honored to be supporting Keep a Child Alive in the fight to put an end to this disease," Henson said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Grammy-nominated Monae added: "We need to come together and use our voice to help put an end to this epidemic!"

Keys held her annual Black Ball charity event in New York City last month, raising $3.8 million. Chris Rock hosted the event, which featured performances by Lenny Kravitz, Wale and Lion Babe.

The Grammy-winning, piano-playing Keys appeared as a guest star on "Empire" last week in the role of Skye Summers. The Fox series, starring Henson and Terrence Howard, will have its winter finale Wednesday.

____

Online:

http://keepachildalive.org/

http://www.fox.com/empire/cast

FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2015, file photo, Taraji P. Henson attends the VH1 Big In 2015 with Entertainment Weekly Award Show held at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, Calif. Though Henson and Alicia Keys both appear on the hit series âEmpire,â theyâre now joining forces to fight HIV/AIDS. Henson, along with Janelle Monae and Laila Ali, are signing on as ambassadors for the newly formed power council on Keysâ charity, Keep a Child Alive. The announcement was made to coincide with World AIDS Day, which is Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015. (Photo by John Salangsang/Invision/AP, File) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Celebrities Content Providers Entertainment Lifestyle

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.