Pablo Luna
On Saturday, September 26, the American Lung Association (ALA) conducted a fundraising event. The digital event, #Act4Impact, was live-streamed in accordance with COVID-19 protocols. The fundraising was hosted by Actress Queen Latifah and featured appearances from Gabrielle Union, Katharine McPhee Foster, Dwayne Wade, and other celebrities. The show also featured medical professionals and scientists in a bid to share awareness about healthcare discrepancies affecting marginalized communities during the pandemic.
The host Queen Latifah noted that the pandemic has further shown the discrepancies in the nation and brought to focus the untold difficulties these discrepancies have wrecked on marginalized communities. She also stated that the main reason for the event is to increase help for people most at risk to experience health issues from COVID-19 – indigenous communities, Blacks, and Latinos.
Dwayne Wade, wife of action star Dwayne Johnson, and actress Gabrielle Union also featured in the event from their homes. They showed the audience the #lungflexchallenge by dancing for as long as they could after the intake of breath. Union lasted for fifteen seconds while Dwayne Wade lasted for some seconds more. Both Union and Dwayne urged others to give to the #Act4Impact and also partake in the #lungflexchallenge.
Katherine McPhee Foster and her husband David Foster also contribute to the show. Katherine gave an emotional performance by singing “The Prayer” while her husband played the piano. The singer said her performance was dedicated to frontline healthcare workers and essential service providers.
“This performance is for all front liners and essential workers whose sacrifices have saved us all. We appreciate all your hard work and efforts to keep our nation going during these difficult times,” she said.
Vivica A. Fox also spoke with the host of the event about her experience after she tested positive for COVID-19. She had been scheduled to host E! Live from the Red carpet with Giuliana Rancic, but both of them tested positive for Coronavirus and were removed. Fox stated that she took a self-administered test which was positive but she felt no symptoms. After a false-positive result, she took another test administered by a healthcare practitioner. Her other test, fortunately, came out negative.
“Everyone should try as much as possible to get tested by professionals instead of conducting the tests themselves,” she stated. “I know a lot of people were affected by my false positive test and I’m pleased I can tell everyone that I am doing fine.”
The #Act4Impact fundraising event also featured people who have been affected by COVID-19, healthcare practitioners, and scientists. They stated that they were there to give sufficient knowledge about health care discrepancies that plague the disadvantaged communities during the pandemic.
Stars such as Common, Laura Dern, Jimmy Fallon, and Whoopi Goldberg also entertained the viewers.
Funds raised from the event will go to the ALA’s COVID-19 program in educating people about COVID-19, providing cloth masks to people in need, championing the provision of flu vaccines in marginalized communities of color, prevention of future pandemics by putting in funds in researches about the respiratory virus.
Source: billboard.com
