Through Jameelah Mullen
November 7, 2025
The divas reunited for a good cause.
Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph brought out Hollywood’s brightest stars for her 35th annual DIVAS Simply Singing Awards Gala.
Ralph’s former Dream girls costars including Gina Taylor, Loretta Devine and Jenifer Lewis joined her on the red carpet for an evening of entertainment, glamor and philanthropy. Jennifer Hudson, who won an Oscar in 2006 as Effie White in the film adaptation of the hit Broadway play,
The then-star-studded November 1 event, held at the Taglyan Complex in Los Angeles, served as a fundraiser for Ralph’s DIVA foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to increase resources and awareness about HIV and other health issues affecting underserved communities.
Ralph founded the organization in 1990 after losing several friends to HIV/AIDS, including Michael Bennett, the producer and director of Dream girls during its original Broadway run.
Lewis, who performed at the gala, thought about her friendship with the Abbott Elementary star. “Sheryl and I have known each other since we were 19 years old. That was in the 19th century,” says the Blackish the star joked.
Winners included Rev. Debra Fraser-Howze, who received the DIVA Honors Inaugural Visionary Award for her advocacy for HIV/AIDS awareness and healthcare equity. The Legacy of Love Humanitarian Award went to husband-and-wife singers Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. for their decades of commitment to philanthropy.
The foundation posthumously awarded Jewel Thais-Williams the Legend of Distinction Award, recognizing her as a community activist, wellness pioneer and founder of the historic Catch One nightclub. Dr. Maya Green, Chief Medical Officer of Onyx Medical Wellness in Chicago, received the Honors Wellness Warrior Award. Lula Washington, choreographer and founder of the Lula Washington Dance Theater, received the Artistic Activism Award for her lifelong commitment to using the arts as a platform for social change.
Performers included Laila Hathaway and Andra Day, who sang her inspirational hit “Rise Up.” South Carolina’s 803Fresh performed his summer anthem ‘Boots On The Ground’.
Gina Taylor and her husband, James Pickens, sang a duet of “It Takes Two.” They donated $10,000 to the foundation to fund a men’s health initiative focused on prostate health. Ralph also took the stage to perform “I Dream a Dream.”
Would you like to know more about the DIVA Foundation, visit the organization’s website.
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