by Pav Akhtar
Film and television actress Ashley Judd sprinkled some Hollywood magic on the 2010 RA as she collected an award from the NEA’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) caucus in recognition of her humanitarian work.
Ashley Judd took time off her filming schedule to collect the Health Information Network Ryan White Award for services to HIV prevention.
Known to millions for her on-screen roles in Double Jeopardy, Star Trek and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, 42-year-old Harvard graduate Judd is also a Global Ambassador for having served on its HIV education and prevention program, and its program, since 2001.
Over this time Judd has visited brothels and slums, as well as makeshift hospital clinics and schools across Africa, Asia, and Central America, to witness the lives of the world’s most exploited and raise awareness about the devastating impact of poverty, social injustice and gender inequality.
Judd’s tireless campaigning for grassroots programs has raised vital funds for these causes and saw her elected to the PSI board of directors in 2004. Since then, the actress has generated a global profile as she highlights practical solutions to heads of state, religious leaders, and trade unionists.
Judd was recently invited to address the General Assembly of the UN, and the Foreign Relations Committee of the US Senate, as well as joining the Clinton Global Initiative and Global Business Coalition as an expert on HIV prevention and gender equality for girls in the developing world.
On accepting her award in front of 700 guests, including senior officers and state leaders of the NEA, Judd acknowledged the contribution of her public school teachers in Kentucky who nurtured her talent. She went to say: “I took a break from filming today because I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of my experiences with the NEA. I’m a very pro-union person, so to receive this award from the largest education union in the country means a lot to me.”
Thanking delegates at the NEA GLBT Caucus awards ceremony, Judd pledged to redouble her efforts to the causes of tackling gender inequality and promoting access to reproductive health rights and reminded education delegates that “as difficult as times are in the Unites States, they are that much worse for the global poor.”
Sharing anecdotes of her experiences, Judd pointed to the plethora of grassroots programs which can make a huge difference.
“Initiatives such as YouthAIDS means that the life of a young person can be protected and empowered for less than the cost of a price of pizza,” she said. “And It only costs five cents for a rural woman to be given access to a birthing attendant and a sanitised kit so that she can have safely give birth to her child at home. All Americans can make a big difference to the lives of the poor around the world.”
