Look To The Stars News: Erykah Badu

Erykah Badu Designs Charity Label

Wed, 20 May 2009 11:30:00 -0000

Erykah Badu is using her well-known affinity for the Afro hairstyle to help raise money for the Waterkeeper Alliance.

The Alliance is a grassroots advocacy organization committed to protecting and preserving community waterways. Badu has designed an Afro inspired label complete with butterflies and ferns for Kiehl’s body lotion. One hundred percent of net proceeds received from the sales of Kiehl’s Superbly Restorative Argan Body Lotion will directly benefit the Alliance.

Badu’s charitable work is as diverse as her musical repertoire. In addition to body care products, Badu offers philanthropic support through her organization, Beautiful Love Incorporated Non-Profit Development (B.L.I.N.D.). Created in 2003, the group provides community-driven development for inner-city youth through music, dance, theater and visual arts. The singer is also a supporter of Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA), a non-profit group dedicated to fighting the spread of AIDS in Africa.

Dinner With Erykah On Auction At Museum Fundraiser

Tue, 06 May 2008 10:09:44 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Grammy-winner Erykah Badu has put herself up on the auction block to help raise funds for the African American Museum in Dallas. The 23rd annual African American Museum Gala and Auction, taking place May 10th, is the museum’s top fundraiser, helping to provide a home for African-American art and a venue for historical exhibits pertaining to African-American culture.

Funk group Lakeside will be entertaining the guests at this year’s event, and a silent auction will be held alongside the live one. The winner of the Badu lot will dine with the R&B/soul singer at Al Biernat’s in Dallas.

Dr. Harry Robinson founded the African American Museum in 1974. The museum is home to decorative arts, Sepia magazine’s photo archive and the Freedman’s Cemetery exhibit, as well as the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame, an 11-year-old foundation that annually recognizes athletes and coaches.

For more information on this black-tie event, visit the museum’s website at www.aamdallas.org.

Erykah Badu To Throw Charity Dance Party

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:58:26 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Grammy Award-winning Hip Hop and Soul singer Erykah Badu turned 37 today, and she’s celebrating by throwing a charity dance party tomorrow night – and everyone is invited.

Badu will join Q-Tip and 9th Wonder at the Ghostbar in South Dallas on Wednesday, February 27, for a night of DJing and entertainment. All proceeds will go to B.L.I.N.D. (Beautiful Love Incorporated Non-Profit Development), the organization Badu established in 2003 to make positive social changes through economic, artistic, and cultural development.

“It’s quite simple,” said Paul Levatino, co-promoter and marketing representative of Badu. “Erykah wanted to do something special for South Dallas by raising money to continue community outreach programs that have been temporarily put on hold due to maintenance issues at The Historic Central Forest Theater. We picked Ghostbar due to their coordinated sincere efforts to support B.L.I.N.D. by making this event a reality.”

Today, February 26, also saw the release of Badu’s new album, New Amerykah, her first studio release since 2003’s Worldwide Underground. Tomorrow’s concert will mark her reunion with Q-Tip, her bandmate from The Soulquarians and collaborator on several songs since the 1990s.

The party will run from 8pm-2am, and is strictly R21. Ghostbar is located on the 33rd floor of the W Hotel on Victory Park Lane, South Dallas, and reservations can be made on 214-720-9909. Tickets cost $25, and door sales will be available.

Artists Come Out To Shake the Blues

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:17:52 -0000

Written by Crystal A. Johnson

The charity Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA) held its annual concert and auctions on Thursday November, 15, 2007 at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. The “Shaking the Blues” benefit supports ANSA’s work fighting HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and Africa, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Treatment Action Campaign, a grassroots organization at the forefront of South Africa’s fight against AIDS.

Among the celebrities in attendance were Blair Underwood, Eric Benet, Anthony Anderson, Alfre Woodard, Heroes star Jimmy Jean-Louis, and Grey’s Anatomy star James Pickens Jr. Event chairs include Jackson Browne, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, George Lopez, Carlos Santana’s wife Deborah, Alfre Woodard and Forest Whitaker.

Not only was a baseball signed by Hall of Famer Dave Winfield on hand at the silent auction, but Dave and his wife Tonya attended the event. Close friends with Samuel and Latonya Jackson, the Winfields hope to personally visit South Africa soon.

The musical line-up featured stirring performances by The Roots and friends, Erykah Badu with Edith Funker, Nikka Costa, Doyle Bramhall II, Keb Mo, and Taj Mahal. The Roots roused the crowd with a rendition of Bob Dylan’s Masters of War, and the audience rose for Erykah Badu’s performance of her classic On and On.

In keeping with many other recent celebrity events, acknowledgement was given to the writers’ strike; James Pickens Jr spoke of supporting the writers before he introduced the grand finale performance by Taj Mahal.

Movie and K-ville star Anthony Anderson served as auctioneer for the live auction. As Blair Underwood battled for a diamond earring lot, Anderson comically referred to him only as “the man with the orange leather jacket on”. Underwood’s counter-bidder upped the ante, requesting a date with her opponent be included along with the earrings, which she won at $9,000. Not only did Underwood accept, but he promised it would be a dinner at the world-famous restaurant Spagos.

To encourage higher bids on a private lunch with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Anderson jokingly suggested that the winner could take a picture with Tutu and put it on Myspace.com to be the envy of their friends. The lunch went for $15,500.

Los Angeles-based non-profit organization ANSA was originally founded in 1989 by noted members of the entertainment community, with an initial goal of supporting the struggle against apartheid. Over time, the organization’s focus has shifted to the fight against the African AIDS pandemic, advancing democracy, and equality in South Africa.

The effort to raise money is not over. If you want help the cause their are several items available at the online auction. To bid on the online items: www.charityfolks.com/ansa.

ANSA Shakes the Blues With Stars in Los Angeles

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 08:42:33 -0000

On Thursday, November 15, 2007, Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA) will host “Shaking The Blues,” a star-studded benefit, at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. The evening combines the power of music and activism to shake off our blues – from the personal to the global – and make a difference in the world. The event will feature blues-influenced musical artists as well as a multi-cultural array of renowned entertainers who are donating their time and talents to the fight against HIV/AIDS in the US and Africa.

The event begins with a pre-show cocktail party for major donors at 6 PM. Shaking The Blues performances start at 7:45, immediately followed by a VIP after-party. Those confirmed to appear include Erykah Badu, Nikka Costa, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal Trio and The Roots, with Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson serving as the event’s musical director. Additional highlights include appearances by George Lopez, Jurnee Smollett, Blair Underwood and other special guest stars soon to be announced.

Shaking The Blues, which continues ANSA’s tradition of presenting one unique and extraordinary major fundraiser annually, is chaired by Dianna Cohen & Jackson Browne, Myrna Colley-Lee & Morgan Freeman, LaTanya Richardson Jackson & Samuel L. Jackson, Ann & George Lopez, Deborah Santana, Alfre Woodard & Roderick Spencer and Keisha Nash-Whitaker & Forest Whitaker. Host committee members include J.J. Abrams, Gillian Anderson, Johnny Clegg, Danny Glover, Dulé Hill, Quincy Jones, Norman Lear, Lebo M, Alexandra Paul, Chris Rock, Cicely Tyson, Blair Underwood, Alice Walker, Denzel Washington and other luminaries.

“Last year, ANSA was honored to host the 75th birthday celebration for our dear friend and advisor [”Archbishop Desmond Tutu":http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/580-desmond-tutu]," said ANSA’s Executive Director Sharon Gelman. “He embodies the belief that justice and love will ultimately triumph and maintains a remarkable sense of humor, even in the face of enormous challenges. It is activists like him who inspire us to shake off the blues and take action to fix our world. That’s the spirit of Shaking the Blues, which promises to be one of ANSA’s best events ever.”

Proceeds from the event will support ANSA’s work in the US and Africa. ANSA will also donate a portion of the proceeds to the Treatment Action Campaign, the grassroots organization that is at the forefront of South Africa’s fight against AIDS.

Tickets range from $45 to $100, and are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com and (213) 480-3232. For major donor and VIP tickets, ranging from $250 to $75,000, contact Blue Room Events: (310) 491-1401.

A Shaking The Blues online auction of one-of-a-kind items and experiences from President Bill Clinton, Denzel Washington, J.J. Abrams, Dulé Hill, and many others, launched October 29 at www.charityfolks.com/ansa.

ANSA is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization working to combat HIV/AIDS, safeguard voting rights and democracy, advance human rights and equality, and assist and empower AIDS orphans and other at-risk youth. By working in partnership with effective grassroots organizations and pivotal movements on the frontlines of these issues, ANSA makes a substantial difference. Founded in 1989 to support South Africa’s quest to end apartheid and build a new democracy, ANSA is now dedicated to eradicating social and health inequities that are the legacies of apartheid, segregation, and generations of poverty. In the past decade alone, ANSA has raised $9 million for effective African programs, shipped 70 tons of medical supplies and books to impoverished communities, and educated millions of adults and young people in the US, South Africa, and across the African continent about HIV/AIDS and voting rights. For more information go to www.ansafrica.org

Look To The Stars News: Erykah Badu

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