The disease is also the leading cause of death of women of reproductive age. Keys credits her mother, who raised her alone, for teaching her how to lift other women up.ĪIDS disproportionately affects women, and in sub-Saharan African, young women are eight times more likely to have HIV than young men. She said she saw herself in these young women and wondered what would’ve happened to her if she were in their position and no one offered help. Even in that way, that chain of events that might seem minuscule is very big.”įor Keys, a life-changing trip to South Africa at the age of 21 - where she met AIDS survivors, including young girls pushed into the sex trade to survive - inspired her to take urgent action.
“Doing one small thing for one person empowers that person to go on and do one small thing for another person. “I think being a Global Citizen is being respectful of all of us occupying this planet Earth,” Keys said in an interview at the 2013 Global Citizen Festival in New York. Take Action: Download the App and Tell World Leaders Every Woman Has a Right to Control Her Future 28, 2019, she’ll encourage thousands of more people to stand up for change. Known to challenge beauty standards (she launched the viral hashtag #nomakeup), Keys has empowered women both by example and through her charity work.īy returning to the Global Citizen Festival stage this year in New York City’s Central Park on Sept. Now a 15-time Grammy Award winner and judge on The Voice, Keys continues to be a champion for gender equality. When record labels tried to mold Keys into a cookie-cutter pop singer and asked her to change her image, she stood her ground. "There was the sexism, but it was more the ageism - you're too young, how could you possibly know what you want to do?” "It was a constant battle, it was a lot of -isms," Keys told the Guardian.
She learned the ins and outs of the industry but also experienced the challenges of being the only woman in a room. Growing up in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, the budding musician developed her signature style - crown row braids and androgynous clothing - to ward off the daily sexual harassment she faced.Īs a teen, Keys gained the confidence to speak her mind by joining her manager, Jeff Robinson, in high-level meetings. Īlicia Keys started defying gender stereotypes at a young age. You can join us and take action on this issue here. To end extreme poverty by 2030, we must achieve gender equality. Alicia Keys' personal experiences with sexism in the music industry have led her to become an outspoken advocate for women’s rights.
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