Alicia Keys is to be presented with Amnesty International’s Ambassador Of Conscience Award for 2017.
The award will presented at an official ceremony in Montreal, Canada on May 27.
The singer’s charitable work includes co-founding Keep A Child Alive (KCA), a non-profit organisation that gives treatment and care to children and families affected by HIV in Africa and India. It has so far raised more than $60 million.
In 2014, Keys co-founded the We Are Here Movement to encourage young people to mobilise for change. Through the movement she has sought to galvanise her audience to take action on issues such as criminal justice reform and ending gun violence.
The musician also helped create and appeared in a short film, Let Me In, to mark last year’s World Refugee Day. Using Keys track, Hallelujah, the film tells the story of a young American family forced to flee to the US-Mexico border.
Alongside Keys, a group representing Canada’s indigenous rights movement is to be honoured with the same award. Amnesty International secretary general, Salil Shetty, said: “The Ambassador Of Conscience Award is seen as Amnesty International’s highest honour, celebrating those who have shown exceptional leadership and courage in championing human rights.”
The 15-time Grammy award-winning Keys said: “To be given this great honour, and to be in the presence of the Indigenous rights movement is a humbling experience,” said Alicia Keys. “It encourages me to continue to speak out against injustice and use my platform to draw attention to the issues that matter to me.”
She added: “Our conscience is something we are all gifted with at birth, no matter who we are. That little voice that speaks to you and tells you when something is not right, I always use as my guide. Since I was a small girl my inner voice would yell at me! Now I just say, Okay, what can I do? That is a question we can ask ourselves and then act upon."
Alicia Keys released her most recent album, Here, in November 2016. It peaked at No.21 and has so far sold 20,401 copies, according to the Official Charts Company. Her biggest-selling album is 2002’s Songs In A Minor, which has sold 1,131,006 copies to date.
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