Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVA Foundation Celebrates 35 Years Of HIV Impact

By Donnetta Monk ·Updated November 7, 2025 < /> Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…

When Beyoncé declared that a “diva is a female version of a hustler” in 2009, she captured the energy of a generation of women stepping into their power with confidence and ambition. For Emmy Award–winning actress, activist, and icon Sheryl Lee Ralph, that same word carries another layer of meaning rooted in purpose, grace, and impact.

“Over the years, beauty has become less about perfection and more about purpose for me,” says Ralph. In other words, it’s an inner radiance that shines through resilience and compassion.

“I’ve seen the most beautiful faces belong to those who have known pain, yet continue to give, sing, love, and lift others up,” she explains. “Beauty, to me, is the light that shines from within, especially when the world has tried to dim it.”

For more than three decades, Ralph has embodied that light, using her platform to fight HIV/AIDS stigma and uplift communities through her nonprofit, The DIVA Foundation. Born from love and loss, after she lost close friends to AIDS during her Dreamgirls Broadway days, Ralphsrc="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/IMG_6975.jpeg" alt="Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVA Foundation Celebrates 35 Years Of HIV Impact" width="400" height="323" />Courtesy of The Diva Foundation

Thirty-five years later, Ralph’s mission has raised over $5.5 million to support at-risk communities and expand health awareness around HIV/AIDS. What began as a call to action has grown into a global movement that celebrates beauty, resilience, and service.

“DIVAS Simply Singing! has taught me that when art meets compassion, beauty becomes eternal,” Ralph reflects.

At the heart of the DIVA Foundation is DIVAS Simply Singing!, the longest-running consecutive HIV/AIDS and health awareness concert in the United States. Over the decades, the annual gala has become more than a fundraiser. It is a moment of artistry, fashion, and empowerment where Hollywood’s brightest stars, beauty icons, and changemakers unite in celebration and purpose.

Each year, Sheryl Lee Ralph performs alongside some of Hollywood’s most talented artists, changing her gown, hair, and makeup at least six times throughout the show. Over the years, she has collaborated with designers including Tadashi Shoji in the 2000s and 2010s, Perry Meek in the 2020s, and Valdrin Sahiti in 2025, each bringing their own vision to her signature DIVAdecoding="async" src="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/image-3.jpeg" alt="Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVA Foundation Celebrates 35 Years Of HIV Impact" width="400" height="517" />Sheryl Lee Ralph on the cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! in 1996, wearing a black beaded gown and a voluminous curly updo.Sheryl Lee Ralph graces the 1997 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! in a sleek black dress,decoding="async" src="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DIVAS-8-1998-scaled.jpg" alt="Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVA Foundation Celebrates 35 Years Of HIV Impact" width="400" height="517" />Ralph on the 1998 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! wearing a shiny ocean-blue gown and a body wave updo.Ralph on the 1999 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! wearing a shimmering fuchsia pink dress with a V-neckline and a classic updo, complemented by matching lipstick.

The 2000s Ralph on the 2001 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! wearing a multi-patterned brown dress and an effortless updo, paired with her signature red lips.Ralph on the 2002 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! wearing a sleek purple dress with matching eyeshadow.Ralph graces the 2005 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! in a sparkling green sequin dress,decoding="async" src="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DIVAS-17-2007-scaled.jpg" alt="Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVA Foundation Celebrates 35 Years Of HIV Impact" width="400" height="517" />Ralph shines on the 2007 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! in a red floral gown, her soft blowout and iconic red lips.Ralph stuns on the 2008 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! in a bejeweled baby blue gown with feathers,decoding="async" src="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/image-2.jpeg" alt="Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVA Foundation Celebrates 35 Years Of HIV Impact" width="400" height="517" />Ralph on the 2009 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! in a red feathered dress with black-tipped accents,decoding="async" src="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DIVAS-20-2010-scaled.jpg" alt="Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVA Foundation Celebrates 35 Years Of HIV Impact" width="400" height="517" />Ralph stuns on the 2010 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! in a red gown that echoes the red ribbon symbolizing hope and HIV/AIDS awareness,decoding="async" src="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/image-5.jpeg" alt="Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVA Foundation Celebrates 35 Years Of HIV Impact" width="400" height="517" />Ralph graces the 2011 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! in a cheetah-print gown,decoding="async" src="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DIVAS-24-2014-scaled.jpg" alt="Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVA Foundation Celebrates 35 Years Of HIV Impact" width="400" height="517" />Ralph on the 2014 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! wearing a lace and embellished gown,decoding="async" src="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DIVAS-25-2015-scaled.jpg" alt="Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVA Foundation Celebrates 35 Years Of HIV Impact" width="400" height="517" />Ralph radiates on the 2015 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! in an asymmetrical off-the-shoulder red dress inspired by the red ribbon,decoding="async" src="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/image-6.jpeg" alt="Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVA Foundation Celebrates 35 Years Of HIV Impact" width="400" height="517" />Ralph sparkles on the 2017 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! in a sequined suit,decoding="async" src="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DIVAS-29-2019-scaled.jpg" alt="Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVA Foundation Celebrates 35 Years Of HIV Impact" width="400" height="517" />Ralph commands the 2019 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! in a body-crossed sequin dress with a matching top hat,decoding="async" src="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DIVAS-30-2020-scaled.jpg" alt="Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVA Foundation Celebrates 35 Years Of HIV Impact" width="400" height="517" />Ralph graces the 2020 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! in a classic off-the-shoulder gown,decoding="async" src="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DIVAS-33-2023.jpg" alt="Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVA Foundation Celebrates 35 Years Of HIV Impact" width="400" height="514" />Ralph glows on the 2023 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! with a classic pixie cut and bold jeweled lashes.Ralph dazzles on the 2025 cover of DIVAS Simply Singing! in a classic trench coat paired with black gloves,rel="tag">HIV awareness HIV/Aids Sheryl Lee Ralph

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