Sheryl Lee Ralph

Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph has been an HIV/AIDS activist for over 25 years after watching her Broadway buddies succumb to the disease during her early career on the stage when there was very little known about the virus.

After founding the Dive Foundation in 1991 to use entertainment to educate and erase the stigma attached to the disease, Ralph wrote and performed a one-woman play called Sometimes I Cry, detailing the stories of women living and coping with HIV/AIDS.

Ralph is also a national spokeswoman for the National Minority AIDS council.