Sheryl Lee Ralph Remembers Being Told She Wont Have Much of a Career For Speaking on HIV/AIDS Crisis: It Was An Ugly Time

Sheryl Lee Ralph took the podium at Project Angel Food’s 2023 Awards Gala with a powerful message showing her unwavering support as a long-standing HIV/AIDS activist.

Ralph was honored with the organization’s inaugural Sheryl Lee Ralph legacy award on Saturday. The “Abbott Elementary” star first joined Project Angel Food over three decades ago, after she stepped inside the organization’s church kitchen out of curiosity. At the time, the food delivery service only catered to those living with HIV/AIDS. Inspired by her close relationships with several friends affected by the AIDS crisis, Ralph has since continued to volunteer her time and significant contributions to the cause.

“Let me tell you about December 20 1981. I made my Broadway debut in what has become the iconic musical of the 80s — because I say so — ‘Dream Girls,’” she said on stage, after an introduction from Lily Tomlin, who read a signed letter from Vice President Kamala Harris. “And out of all the wonderful things we did with ‘Dream Girls,’ nobody ever mentioned the fact that we lost 1/3 of our original company to AIDS.”

“They were good people. They were kind people. Creative people. You would sing and dance with them one night, then they would be fighting for their life, the next. And I said, ‘What am I watching here, God?’ and ‘Why am I having to see this in America?’” Ralph added. “It was an ugly time in America when people took comfort in pointing at those who suffered, and were dying, and saying that’s what they get, and that’s what they deserve. People took comfort in dumping their sick children off on church stair steps like they were bags of used clothing for a rummage sale. There were those who laughed as they suffered. There were gangs of men who would roam the ‘gayborhood’ and they would beat men to a bloody pulp. Just for being there. Lovely celebrities and people that we liked and laughed with on TV came out and said the most hateful, vile things you could ever hear being said about another human being. And when they were about to pass on and die, and they would be in the hospital, there was no bed for them. There were doctors and nurses who refused to give care and some of them had signs on their bed that said Do not touch and I don’t know what in the world made me open up my mouth and say ‘Why are we not doing something?’”

The actress went on in her speech, recalling how she was criticized for speaking out on behalf of those diagnosed with the disease. Passionately, the Emmy winner remembered being told “shut up” and “you won’t have much of a career because nobody’s going to like you hanging with those people.”

“Yeah, they were wrong. I’ll never forget a church took the time to write me a letter and tell me that God would find no favor in me because of talking about that AIDS thing. I stood on stage, I held my son — he was all of maybe two years old — and I said no matter what, God gave me a healthy child and I would love him gay or straight and someone stood up and said, ‘What kind of hypocrite are you that would stand up and say out loud that you would love a gay son?’ But something in me said we have got to use our voices to speak up about this,” Ralph added emphatically.

Others honored on Saturday included Mary Fisher, renowned HIV/AIDS activist who also serves on Project Angel Food’s Board of Directors.

Held at Project Angel Food’s headquarters in Hollywood, the event served as a fundraiser to assist the organization in its expansion and after the live and silent auctions took place, Project Angel Food CEO Richard Ayoub closed the night revealing the organization had successfully raised $725,000.

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