Alicia Keys is one of the brightest stars of pop music today. She published six studio albums, finding fame right off the bat with the first one and the unforgettable song Fallin’. Keys’ positive outlook on life can be felt powerfully through her music, and over the years the pop star also grew into one of the most active philanthropists. She supports over thirty charities and foundations, as well as over twenty causes.
As she puts it herself, “There is no age requirement for making a difference. For those of us who have been fortunate to have success early in our careers, we have the opportunity to use that unique platform. Somebody once described the idea of celebrity as currency, and that has always resonated with me. Currency, like the celebrity, should be used wisely and purposely. It matters less when you use it than how. But I also believe that you don’t just have to be a celebrity or wealthy to be affected by an issue and want to do something about it! We all hold unlimited power, and we should use it!”
Keep a Child Alive
Alicia Keys is the ambassador for Keep A Child Alive, spokesperson for Frum Tha Ground Up, and she performed at the Philadelphia Live 8 concert, as well as the Live Earth concert in New Jersey, in addition to her charity work raising funds to benefit the Hurricane Katrina victims.
In 2017, Keys partnered with Stella McCartney for a cause that’s close to both their hearts: breast cancer awareness campaigns. McCartney’s mother Linda McCartney was diagnosed with breast cancer and later passed away from it in 1998, while the mother of Alicia Keys is a breast cancer survivor. Keys had stated that sharing that story was important to her because she’d never done that. “I really wanted to show my support for Stella McCartney’s breast cancer awareness by wearing her Ophelia Whistling lingerie set, where a percentage of the proceeds are donated to Memorial Sloan Kettering Breast Examination Center of Harlem,” she added. “This is really important to me because I grew up in Harlem and obviously New York is my town.”
Raising Awareness for Breast Cancer
The breast cancer campaign was about raising awareness of this horrible disease and encouraging women to go for regular screenings to increase the percentage of early detection and survival. For the campaign, Stella McCartney designed the Ophelia Whistling bra and underwear set, and the campaign supported the Memorial Sloan Kettering Breast Examination Center of Harlem in their efforts to continue offering high-quality care to the local women.
The unique goal of the breast cancer awareness campaign was targeting African-American women, who have a 42% higher mortality rate from breast cancer than Caucasian women, so Alicia Keys and Stella McCartney felt that their support for this breast cancer campaign would be a perfect choice. She was happy to reach out to her fellow women in Harlem especially and be the face of the campaign.
Alicia Keys is one of the stars who understand that their music and their activism can help restore hope to individuals who have cancer. The dedication she shows for her charity work is admirable and restores faith that humanity can unite to fight the disease with love, music, and artistry.
