AHF Remembers Humanitarian Harry Belafonte

In Featured, News by Ged Kenslea

(Above photo, L to R) AHF President Michael Weinstein, Pamela Frank, Harry Belafonte, Shari Belafonte (in hat),  Common,  and Jojo. (Photo by Araya Diaz/Getty Images for AIDS Healthcare Foundation)

World’s largest HIV/AIDS healthcare provider honored legendary entertainer, activist, and humanitarian with AHF’s Lifetime Achievement Award on World AIDS Day in 2016 during its ‘Keep the Promise’ March and Concert in Hollywood

LOS ANGELES (April 25, 2023) – AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world’s largest HIV healthcare provider, mourns and thanks Harry Belafonte, the legendary singer and actor, activist, and humanitarian, who passed away Tuesday at his New York home at age 96.

“The world is a little dimmer today in losing such a legendary entertainer as Harry Belafonte but so much richer for having had such a tireless, lifelong humanitarian and activist for so many years. Rest easy, kind sir, after a job well done,” said Michael Weinstein, AHF President. “Belafonte leveraged his considerable and deserved celebrity for a myriad of causes over his lifetime, including the fight against HIV and AIDS. It was both humbling and a privilege for AHF to thank and honor him in person for his lifetime of activism and compassion.”

In 2016, AHF honored Belafonte with its Lifetime Achievement Award during its “Keep the Promise” World AIDS Day Concert and March in Hollywood, CA. Ever the activist, Belafonte, then 89, joined marchers for a brief but poignant portion of the march down Hollywood Boulevard. The march commemorated the millions who have died of AIDS while also serving as a reminder to the world that of the then 36.7 million people living with AIDS worldwide, only 17 million had access to lifesaving antiretroviral treatment. Belafonte received the AHF award during the concert that followed at the Dolby Theater featuring Patti LaBelle, Common, and others who also paid tribute to the humanitarian icon.

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MAIN PHOTO CAPTION:

HOLLYWOOD, CA – NOVEMBER 30, 2016: AIDS activists take part in AIDS Healthcare Foundations Keep the Promise March in Hollywood, CA on November 30, 2016. Thousands marched down historic Hollywood Boulevard on the eve of World AIDS Day to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and to persuade key decision-makers in the US and around the globe to keep the promise and commit more funds to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment. A free Keep the Promise concert at the Dolby Theatre headlined by Patti LaBelle and Common and honoring legendary entertainer and humanitarian Harry Belafonte for his charitable work followed the march. (L to R) AHF President Michael Weinstein, Pamela Frank, Harry Belafonte, Shari Belafonte (in hat),  Common,  and Jojo. (Photo by Araya Diaz/Getty Images for AIDS Healthcare Foundation)

 

PHOTO CAPTION:

November 30, 2016: AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION – From left, Rosie Perez, AHF President Michael Weinstein, Patti LaBelle, Harry Belafonte, Common, and AHF Board Chair Cynthia Davis, are seen during AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s ‘Keep the Promise’ Concert at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Nov. 30, 2016. The concert, which took place on the eve of World AIDS Day, was headlined by Patti LaBelle and Common. The concert—and a march of more than a thousand down Hollywood Boulevard just before—raised awareness about HIV/AIDS in an effort to persuade key decision-makers in the US and around the globe to ‘keep the promise’ and commit more funds to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment. (Carlos Delgado/AP Images for AIDS Healthcare Foundation)

 

PHOTO CAPTION:

HOLLYWOOD, CA – NOVEMBER 30, 2016: Harry Belafonte receives the AHF Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades-long humanitarian and charitable works from Cynthia Davis, AHF Board Chair, and Michael Weinstein, AHF President, during AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s ‘Keep the Promise’ Concert at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Nov. 30, 2016. The concert, which took place on the eve of World AIDS Day, was headlined by Patti LaBelle and Common. The concert—and a march of more than a thousand down Hollywood Boulevard just before—raised awareness about HIV/AIDS in an effort to persuade key decision-makers in the US and around the globe to ‘keep the promise’ and commit more funds to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment. (Carlos Delgado/AP Images for AIDS Healthcare Foundation)

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