Ever since KRS-One joined forces with the likes of Public Enemy and MC Lyte for the “Stop the Violence Movement” in 1989, Hip Hop and R&B artists from all walks of life have been using their renown for the greater good. Now, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, a member of TLC and the former wife of Mack 10, has applied her celebrity to raise awareness about bone marrow donations.
T-Boz recently released a PSA video in conjunction with African-American Bone Marrow Awareness month to champion bone marrow donation organizations like Be the Match. In the video, she challenges members of the African-American community to reach out to those in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant.
“Champions rise up, champions overcome,” she says. “We need more champions in the African-American community, people to step up and donate marrow. It’s the key to taking on diseases like leukemia and sickle cell anemia.”
The need for bone marrow donations hits close to home for the Atlanta songstress. T-Boz is a longtime sufferer of sickle-cell anemia, an affliction prevalent among African-Americans that stems from the development of irregularly shaped red blood cells produced by the bone marrow. Rapper Prodigy of Mobb Deep also suffers from the debilitating disease.
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In addition to her recent PSA work, T-Boz acts as a spokesperson for the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America. More information about sickle-cell disease and other disorders linked to bone marrow deficiency can be found at the SCDAA and Be the Match’s websites.
T-Boz’s PSA can be seen below.
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