World-famous, award-winning singer, songwriter, and actress Janet Jackson performed a full-length show before a sold-out crowd packed with ecstatic fans for AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s (AHF) World AIDS Day Concert at NRG Arena in Houston, Texas Friday night. She opened the show with her 1997 hit song “Together Again” – a personal tribute to a friend lost to AIDS as well as others affected by the virus.
Rapper Willie D of the Geto Boys, recording artist and producer BeatKing, rapper Yungstar of the Screwed Up Click, renowned restaurateur Steve Rogers, U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump were among the evening’s celebrity and VIP attendees.
World AIDS Day is an annual commemorative event to honor those we’ve lost to HIV/AIDS, to show support for those currently living with HIV/AIDS, and to emphasize the fight against HIV/AIDS is not over. Ticket sales from the concert benefit AHF’s HIV/AIDS awareness.
Emmy, Grammy, and Golden Globe winning choreographer, director, and producer Debbie Allen received a standing ovation as she took the stage to present an In Memoriam tribute, honoring those we’ve lost to AIDS over the past 40 years, including her beloved “boys from Fame.” The audience also was on its feet and cheering as AHF presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to Emmy Award-winning actor and activist Blair Underwood, a powerful voice in the fight against HIV/AIDS for more than three decades.
“The global HIV/AIDS response has fallen short over recent years due to COVID-19 and other competing global crises,” said Michael Weinstein, AHF President and Cofounder. “AHF holds this annual World AIDS Day event to draw attention to the cause because it’s not over. We call on all nations and global public health institutions to ensure the adequate resources and political will are available to fight HIV/AIDS.”
While 29.8 million people living with HIV – of 39 million worldwide -- now receive lifesaving treatment, the work continues. AHF will reach two million lives in care by early 2024.
Past performers at AHF’s World AIDS Day include Jennifer Hudson, Christina Aguilera, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Diana Ross, and Mariah Carey. The global HIV/AIDS organization has presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to a diverse array of advocates including Harry Belafonte, Debbie Allen, and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and posthumously to Princess Diana.
